T e n e b r i s m
by Sulfur Dusk
Summary: AU - Yuugi Mutou is a talented young artist who has just been accepted into his dream academy. However, things are not always what they seem as dark secrets begin to unravel and Yuugi becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Now, he will do anything and everything in his power to escape. Too bad Yami won't let him. Darkfic. Puzzleshipping. COMPLETE.
1. I: First Steps

**Well, nice to see that no one's **_**too **_**angry at me for being gone so freaking long… hehehehe. * Clears throat. * Anyway, I did want to apologize because I have been gone for a really long time without any notice, and that's because most of the events that have happened in my life over the past year or so have included situations that are unavoidable and difficult.**

**For one, I've been extremely busy applying to colleges. (Thirteen, to be exact), and I have not had time to freewrite with those pounding my schedule, along with spring sports coming up, as I practice year-round for tennis and that hasn't helped with my FFN schedule either. I know that I have a lot of crap to work on, and now I'm sick with the flu. Oh joy! :D But this is, sadly enough, the only time I can write. I hope all of you, my wonderful fellow readers and writers alike, can forgive me for my absence. :(**

**And onto my new project! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**I**

_First Steps_

* * *

Yuugi was born talented.

He was born talented, curious, and intelligent. But without the confidence to back any of these qualities up, no one expected that much from him other than his own parents and his extremely caring grandfather. The baby was always traveling, and had a great sense of adventure that the child's grandfather seemed to reflect. No stone was unturned when this baby walked by, always searching for the answers, searching for different ways to solve things.

With these abilities, he happened to find a fascination in just about anything with color, shape, pattern, or all of these traits combined. The baby was too young, but he dabbled in finger-painting anyway, opening bottles from his own parents' supply without their knowledge of it. He splashed colors onto canvas, used charcoal to slam his images onto his father's printing paper, and even took one of the board games in his grandfather's closet to use as a background for a mural.

And as he grew older, his expectations, and his love for art, grew immensely. He was smarter, more skilled with his surroundings now. Some would have called him a genius, a natural-born artist.

And then… death sent his life into haywire. The demise of his parents…

So many sounds, colors, motions… it blurred into his mind like an upset collage, scissor-cut and glued and yet, entirely separate from the other. He tried his best to put it together but it would never reveal itself to him.

This memory, this _moment_, was permanently etched, carved and engraved into the child's mind. He would never forget that night.

He still had art, but it held a new purpose. It was no longer an activity; it was a need.

And his grandfather could only watch him grow, hoping that he would never blame himself for what happened. If he even remembered… with art flowing passionately flowing through his fingertips and his brain still oozing with creative ideas… Sugoroku Mutou didn't want that to disappear. He wanted him to live life to the fullest.

* * *

_**But Sugoroku Mutou had no idea what would be in store for his grandson when he chose to pursue his dream…**_

* * *

… …

… … …

… _Present Day …_

…_ … …_

…_ …_

There was something very different about this particular December morning, and Sugoroku Mutou, originally, had no idea what it was. Was it because his grandson had been awake for _six hours_, staying awake through mugs of hot chocolate and cookies while still clad in his wrinkled periwinkle pajamas? Or not _because _his very scatterbrained grandson had been up since three o' clock, but rather… _why _he'd been awake for that long?

And then the old man remembered.

A hearty, booming laugh escalating throughout the Kame Game Shop. Even the board games and card decks stacked along the shelves would have shaken if they absorbed the full velocity of his amusement and excitement for Yuugi.

Yes, it was _that _December morning.

Not Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day… no, none of those trivial holidays. Today was the day Yuugi was to receive _the letter_.

"What time is it now Grandpa?" Yuugi's large, childlike amethyst eyes were completely fixated on the windows leading to the mailbox outside. Frost tinted the edges, and through this early morning, Sugoroku could hear a crow screeching in the distance, already attempting to wake everyone else up.

"Should be a few more minutes, Yuugi."

Yuugi stood up and stretched, crossing his arms behind his head and scratching his untamed spiky hair. "Grandpa, what if they don't accept me?" His eyes bulged, and in that moment the teenager remembered just how important this was to him.

Sugoroku shook his head, his eyes clouding with reminiscence. He remembered when Yuugi acted like this when he was a child, eager to open his small presents on holiday mornings and eating too many sweets to count, while still managing to have the patience to learn how to play Duel Monsters—a famous card game—from his grandfather.

Now he was eighteen, in his last year of high school, and in the summer he made a miraculous decision to put together a huge, exhausting portfolio of his most prized artwork and apply to the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts.

This particular academy, as Sugoroku researched, happened to be one of the most prestigious arts-related institutes in the world. Getting in would be extremely unlikely for an unknown common artist—and a _teenager _no less—from within the smaller districts of Domino. After all, they only accepted the best of the best, and ranged from every type of artistic talent imaginable: musical arts, creative art, free-range art, architecture, theatre arts, film and media arts… the list was endless.

But in the end, it _was_ what Yuugi wanted, and the kid had a work ethic unlike anyone else Sugoroku had seen in his life. Who's to say he wouldn't get in? Sugoroku would end up being his sole supporter. Of course, he was very proud of his grandson and he knew that if Yuugi's parents were there, they would have approved as well.

Stroking his brow, Sugoroku remembered observing Yuugi when he was only four, figuring out how to melt crayons in the microwave to create multicolored paste. The mess was horrible, but Sugoroku's heart only grew at seeing the young child's face light up in excitement, covered head to toe in melted crayon wax, and presenting him a tray full of "Rainbow Fookies".

"_Fookies?" _Sugoroku remembered asking, smiling to please Yuugi, who was so proud of his most recent project.

"_Yeah, Grampa! Fookies… they're fake cookies. You can't eat crayon cookies."_

That memory always ended bitterly when it would flash to an image of his grandson once again, exactly two months later, placing one of the wax heart-shaped cookies on his mother's coffin.

He shook his head.

_Not now, Mutou. Not now._

"Grandpa…"

Sugoroku blinked, snapping his attention to the monogrammed envelope resting in Yuugi's pale hands. The teen was practically shaking, his knuckles turning whiter than usual, and Sugoroku released a comforting sigh and flashed him a smile.

"Open it, lad."

Yuugi swallowed. "… You're right." What was he doing? Acting so cowardly? He was the one who wanted to apply to this amazing school! What was the point of applying to his dream if he wasn't prepared to accept the harsh truth?

A million thoughts swam in the teenager's mind. _Oh my god they rejected me didn't they what am I going to do I have no idea what to do but wait I still have to read it oh no screw it I can't even open the freaking letter what am I supposed to do—_

Sugoroku rolled his eyes as Yuugi continued to hesitate, not noticing the rather… rampant marching band chorusing through his grandson's brain. "Blast this, Yuugi! You're turning cowardly on me in the last second! They probably didn't accept you just because you take so darn long in every miniscule task!"

Yuugi blinked owlishly, his previous thought rampage suddenly receding. He stared at his grandfather with blank eyes. "Gee, thanks, Grandpa."

"Well, it's the truth!"

"Uh=huh." Really, Sugoroku Mutou could be the strangest person at times, even when he did care about Yuugi, more than the world, even.

"Just open it."

"I _really _don't want to." Marching band. Those thoughts kept coming back whenever he glanced at the stamp on the corner of the envelope.

"You know how expensive that application was?"

"_Grandpa_!"

"What? It was a lot of cash just to ask permission to go there!"

"It's one of the top universities in the _world_, Grandpa—"

"It's still just asking permission…"

Yuugi huffed and finally ripped open the letter, just to make his grandfather close his mouth. He briefly skimmed the letter, his heart slamming repeatedly against his chest as the fancy cursive font faded into the page. The signature of the Headmaster in the Admissions Office was signed off the bottom of the letter in crisp blue ink.

Sugoroku wasn't even paying attention. "I mean, how would you feel if I made you pay me five dollars just to get a string cheese from the fridge? You'd be mad too—"

Yuugi's throat tightened.

"I… I got in."

The whole world seemed to stand still. This was absolutely _not _what either Mutou was expecting, but it was definitely what Yuugi wanted to see.

Sugoroku's jaw fell. "Well, I'll be…"

"Grandpa, I _got in_." Yuugi still couldn't grasp it. The Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts had _accepted him_!

With newfound enthusiasm, Yuugi bolted off of the couch and tackled his grandfather into a bear hug, showcasing strength that his grandfather never knew the boy had in him. After several long, agonizingly slow yet energy-ridden seconds, Sugoroku's face began to puff up and turn purple like a grape.

"Y-Yuugi—"

"_I got in_! To _this _academy! To _Light & Shadow_! Do you know what this means, Grandpa? I can finally fulfill my dreams! I can do what Mom and Dad always wanted me to do—"

Yuugi would have practically sung opera about his happiness if his grandfather hadn't slapped a hand over his mouth and pushed him out of the embrace. The look in Sugoroku's eyes was very warm and gentle, clearly happy for his grandson's accomplishment (and the fact that the application fee didn't go to waste) and Yuugi relaxed at the sight of this.

But he frowned at Sugoroku's next words. "Now, you do know that you will have to call Anzu and tell her about this. When does the letter say you have to be there?"

Right. The Light & Shadow Academy was in England.

Yuugi bit his lip and sighed. Anzu Masaki was his childhood friend, and only friend, really, that protected him and defended him throughout both of their lives. She would risk absolutely everything for him if he was in trouble, and he would do the same for her, but when he'd told her about applying to this academy…

He scratched the nape of his neck just by remembering their conversation.

She didn't take it well. At the time he couldn't tell if she was just angry that he was deciding to leave so suddenly or… if there was another reason. He wasn't entirely sure.

"Yeah, I know, Grandpa."

"You'd best do that now. And then go pack your things and we can head out tomorrow morning. A flight for England would just be… ugh, too early."

Yuugi had no idea how hard it was for his grandfather to say those words.

The teen smiled; still overwhelmed by the fact that one of the greatest arts schools in the entire world had accepted him. It was almost too much to bear, and he knew that this was going to be just as painful for him by leaving Domino, as it was for both Anzu and his grandpa.

He tackled his only living relative in another hug. "Thank you so much Grandpa!"

"Ack! Y-You're welcome, Yuugi, just let me breathe!"

Yuugi would miss him the most.

He knew that he would shed tears leaving, but he didn't want to think about that at the moment.

Hours passed by and Yuugi Mutou could not stop the glistening, childish smile bloomed onto his features. It took him more than two hours to pack everything, and he knew he couldn't forget the most important things. Sure, he'd made sure to search through his… rather bland wardrobe and stuff as many extra socks as he could, along with his toothbrush, deodorant, toothpaste…

He shuffled through his nightstand, blinking as his fingers brushed over something in the top drawer. Temporarily distracted, the teen lifted himself off the carpet and glanced through the disorganized assortment of broken pencils, erasers, crumpled balls of paper and felt pens…

He blinked.

It was a portrait of his mother and father—his very first drawing, shoved in the back of his drawer. He'd forgotten about it for so long.

Yuugi's teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he ran his finger over the delicate paper. He could easily rip this material… it was easily over a decade old; it had to have been. He probably drew it when he was four or five, after he made his "famous" Rainbow Fookies.

Examining the picture further, Yuugi subconsciously sunk back onto his mattress and just… observed it. Critiqued it.

It was a very simple drawing, coming from the first ever attempt from a prodigy. They were well-proportioned faces of which he remembered to be his loving parents, father and mother, side by side, smiling equally and bestowing kindness that only wrinkled parchment and charcoal could reveal.

Yuugi shook his head. He didn't want to throw it away, it was too sentimental, and even now, discovering it after so long, he knew that in a way, he would be disappointed in himself if he tried to discard it.

_Mom and Dad... _The words sounded strange, echoing in his mind after over a decade.

He grit his teeth, suppressing the building tears. Why was he suddenly going to cry? He hadn't even thought of them since… since the accident. Why did it matter now? When he was about to shipped off to his dream school?

The telephone beside him started to ring. What timing.

Wiping his eyes, Yuugi blinked the teary residue before reaching for the device on his nightstand and picking it up, swallowing first before politely saying: "Hello? This is Yuugi Mutou, from the Kame Game Shop. We're closed today—"

"_Yuugi! This is your telephone, not the shop's. Why do you still answer it like that you dork?" _

It was Anzu.

He sighed. "Oh, hey Anzu."

"_Hold up, why do you sound sad? I was calling because your crazy grandpa left my mom a message about you wanting to call me. Why you wouldn't call me in the first place confused me a little bit, but whatever. If you're busy, I get it—"_

"I got in, Anzu," Yuugi said, a deep part of him still twisting with excitement.

There was a pause on the other end. Yuugi waited patiently.

"_Wait, to that school in England?"_ There was so much disbelief in her voice Yuugi would have been hurt by her lack of confidence, but he was in too great of a mood to care.

"Yeah! The Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. They sent me the letter this morning. I was going to call you earlier about it but I was packing and…" He briefly glanced at his childhood attempt at capturing his parents' profiles, and then sighed. "… got distracted."

"… _Yeah, it would've been nice if you called me earlier. But, that's great, Yuugi. I'm really happy for you." _ There was sorrow and slight frustration in her feminine tone, but Yuugi knew that she was proud of him.

Still, his heart twisted in guilt. "Anzu, I know I should've called earlier. I'm sorry."

"_Don't worry about it. So, England, huh? That's so cool! I wish I could go." _She was trying so hard to make this less painful, but Yuugi only nodded over the phone and didn't bother replying to that. He knew she needed to speak and vent her feelings; that much about her, he knew. _"When do you leave?"_

Brilliant. She would hate this.

Yuugi sighed. "Um… tomorrow morning, at five."

"_What?! Yuugi!" _

The teen had to pull the phone away from his ear at her outburst. He knew this would happen.

"Anzu, I know, I'm sorry. The letter gave me short notice and was a couple of days late. I have to leave tomorrow because there's no other available flights for England and the admissions office advised me to come no later than that."

"_Hm. Well, I'll make it work." _She had her "determined" voice. That meant she would probably show up in a flight attendant uniform and scream: _I'm coming with you!_

Yuugi smiled at the thought, but he shook his head. "Thanks, Anzu. I'm really, really sorry that this was sprung up on you last minute. I didn't want to say it to you like this."

"_Hey! Don't worry about it. No harm done." _She was lying through her teeth.

The Mutou boy frowned. "Um, well, I have to go finish packing now. Do you want to come over?"

"_Nah, I can't." _He heard a shuffling in the background. _"I have… stuff, to do."_

He frowned. "I hope you can make it to the airport before I leave. I know it's really early, and I'm sorry again for that—"

"_Yuugi Mutou! Stop apologizing!" _He heard Anzu chuckle softly over the line, and he released a sigh of relief. He wanted his friend to be happy and without stress, and he always hated it if he was the cause of said stress or anxiety. _"I'll be there."_

Yuugi smiled. "… I know."

The conversation carried on for at least thirty minutes, and ever now and then Yuugi would sneak a glance towards the picture of his parents lying open on his bed.

… …

… … …

… _The Next Morning …_

…_ … …_

…_ …_

Yuugi Mutou had no idea that saying goodbye was going to be this difficult.

Getting to the airport in the first place was incredibly stressful on its own, with having to deal with making sure his grandpa paid attention to the road while having a fully opened map in front of him on the steering wheel. For God's sake, they almost slammed directly into a truck on the freeway! Sugoroku was lucky that Yuugi happened to be one of the most anxious and worrisome kids on the face of the planet, and would absolutely not let his grandfather drive into any cars or blind himself with a godforsaken _map _to the airport. They could have just used the car's GPS system and it would have been fine…

But it was one of many traits of his grandfather that he was going to desperately miss.

The pedestrians wandering beside him with rolling suitcases, backpacks, strollers, etcetera, were only blurs of color, perfume and fast food when Yuugi observed them. He had only one small rolling suitcase with a separate bag of art supplies that he happened to messily rake up around his room, and he seemed to stick out like a sore thumb.

He was dressed nicely, a stark contrast to what he usually wore. His shirt was a long-sleeved, pinstriped button-up and his pants were baggy faded jeans and sneakers that were so old he could have sworn he'd seen them in his grandpa's closet before. But it was the nicest thing he owned and he was proud to have a chance to wear something outside of his school uniform; his untamed spiky hair and glowing childish eyes were his most redeeming qualities, even if he hated them.

His knuckles were so tight around his passport and ticket that he felt they would turn ghostly pale in any second.

Sugoroku placed a comforting hand on Yuugi's shoulder as his grandson's plane came into view, being prepared already for launch.

"Alright, well… this is it." Sugoroku blinked, rubbing at this eyes.

Yuugi frowned. "Grandpa…" He then broke into a smile. "I won't be gone forever." But this was hard for him too. One part of him screamed for him to stay and to not leave the one man that took care of him and supported him his entire life, but the other part insisted that he was making the right decision to leave and follow his dreams. "I'll write and call and mail presents to you. I know that you love England so I'll find postcards and… I promise, I'll keep in touch. Like always."

His grandpa nodded, stiff and, as Yuugi could tell, in slight denial.

His entire countenance softened. "Grandpa—"

"_Yuugi_!"

He knew that voice anywhere. Before he could even react to the oncoming assault, he was tackled and embraced in an extremely affectionate hug from Anzu Masaki.

The brunette smiled as she released him, tears already lining her eyes. She was taking this very hard.

Yuugi restrained himself from crying. He really, really should have planned this out better. Why did the goodbye process have to be so damn hard? Now he was standing before the two people that helped him grow so much in life, and now he was going to an entirely different country.

Anzu shook her head. "Yuugi, you better write to me, call me, whatever. I want to hear all about it. And tell me how your first day goes and everything. Don't leave me in the dark." Despite her tone, she held a wide, tearful smile and was clearly very happy for him, despite her conflicting feelings of losing him. She was, in a way, both his best friend (not to mention only friend) and a motherly figure.

"I promise, Anzu."

Several passengers started to line up for the flight to England.

Sugoroku shook his head, struggling to remain passive. "Yuugi, you have grown so much."

Yuugi hugged his grandfather and started heading towards the plane. "I promise, I'll write to both of you! I love you guys." This was hard, but he couldn't waste anymore time.

Anzu mock-glared. "You better keep in touch!"

"I will!"

"You better! Now get on that plane!" Anzu smiled, and Yuugi did just that.

… …

… … …

… _At the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts …_

…_ … …_

…_ …_

Those who first walked onto the campus of the Light & Shadow Academy were often left breathless, completely floored with anticipation and wild dreams that no one would be able to tame. The ethereal, ancient buildings that scoped as high as castles and showed just as much Gothic fascination, with lovely décor and cobblestone pathways in between assembly rooms. The classes, of course, were laid out differently, and every member adapted to it quite quickly, as this was not a college. It was an _academy_; the Headmaster always paid attention to the significant details.

"So, with the incoming members, I say we celebrate with a glass of wine! Or two, or three, or even four, if I dare say! Ha!" The chortle came from the very man that ran the institute, with an intimidating yet whimsical presence about him, with long silver hair and narrowed almond-shaped eyes that displayed power and hostility.

Maximillion Pegasus, Headmaster to the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts, was all too ready for these fresh new minds.

His office resembled more of the lavishly decorated bedroom of a king. Extravagant crimson drapes hung in front of stained glass windows, as massive portraits of a gorgeous blonde woman was lain along the copper and gold walls. The ceiling was flecked with murals of flying baby angels playing harps and wrapped in togas. Some would find his interests laughable and his taste tacky, but he happened to be running _the most prestigious _arts-related academy in the world.

So he never took hidden insults seriously. Even from those who attended his academy.

He tipped the green bottle over his glass, smiling lucidly as the attractive red liquid spilled into his glass. He would celebrate the arrival of a very talented boy.

He was quite impressed with the portfolio. So many drawings, paintings, sketches and portraits… they all varied between senses of style and poise. The boy was indeed very talented, and Pegasus only chose those that truly explored all ranges and had no qualms about their decisions. Not many attended his academy and he was proud to acknowledge that.

This new boy, this _Yuugi Mutou_, would be an excellent addition. He could feel the anticipation circulating through his blood.

The doors to his office opened, and standing there was a pretty, thin girl with long purple hair strung up in a ponytail. She had an innocent, fairy-like face and moved in a cheerful, hyperactive manner from time to time. Pegasus recognized her from many graded portraits of admiring students who loved and admired this girl a bit too much.

"Ah, Ms. Miho Nosaka. Come in, come in."

She smiled as the doors closed behind her. She dipped her head in a respectful manner before asking, "Did you want to see me?"

Pegasus considered this. "Ah, yes. I did. Have I told you and the other members of the Student Body that a new member is arriving from Japan?"

Miho blinked, and grinned. "No, but that's wonderful."

Pegasus chuckled. "Indeed." He placed his elbows on his desk, ignoring the many bottles of wine stacked on the left corner with his empty glasses. "Come, sit down. There is much we need to discuss about this particular future student of ours."

Miho shifted slightly at the request, but nodded and took a seat in front of him. She crossed her legs, wearing a slightly nervous, albeit happy, expression. "Of course, Mr. Pegasus." She was still quite excited to be asked personally by the Headmaster; it was a stamp of opportunity offered only to those who truly deserved it.

Or so she thought.

"Well, I decided that since you are also a student that was accepted from Domino City, I believe that when he arrives, you will give him a tour. Show him around. Make him comfortable with his new surroundings. From his essay, I can tell that this lad isn't exactly… socially intelligent, if that makes any sense." He smirked.

Miho nodded. "I understand."

"Good. That's all we needed to discuss." He watched pensively, without moving, as she got up from her seat and walked towards the door, her movements almost robotic. It was a stark contrast to how bubbly she would appear in front of the other students, but being in front of authority was entirely different. "Oh, and Miho."

The girl stopped, smiling widely as she glanced over her shoulder, halfway out the door. "Yes Mr. Pegasus?"

"Do make sure to… check, the halls tonight. Wouldn't want anything sneaking around." There was a clear hint in his eyes, and for the first time in their meeting he turned very serious.

Miho swallowed, beads of sweat beginning to gather along her neck. Despite this, she nodded and sported a grin. "O-Of course. I will definitely do that."

"Good." He then reverted back to his charismatic, jolly self. "Carry on then Ms. Nosaka. Enjoy the rest of your day."

She smiled. "Thank you, Sir." And then she disappeared out of his office in two seconds flat. She hated being in there, and he could tell.

He found more amusement than offense in it, anyway.

"Now, where was I?" He smirked impishly, sloshing around the wine in his glass while his mind faded to other territories. No one truly knew what happened in the mind of Maximillion Pegasus. He was unpredictable, a mastermind, and suspected to be crazy.

The Headmaster glanced over the profile he'd just read, observing the picture of Yuugi Mutou from high school, with his uniform appearing far too big for his slender frame, and his eyes bulged out like purple gems. He was very small, and didn't look like the aggressive type by any standard.

Pegasus raised an eyebrow. Still, this student would be a worthy asset to this academy.

"Oh little Yuugi, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into…"

* * *

**Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter to my new fic. If you type the word "tenebrism" in Wikipedia, you'll find the definition. Awesome word. :)**

**Yami will show up next chapter, don't worry. We all love some dark stuff, eh? Anyway, I hope that everyone who's read this enjoyed it. Please leave a review to tell me what you think and give constructive criticism. **

**I know that it's asking a lot, but I would prefer to have…**

* * *

15

REVIEWS

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**…** **by the next chapter. I know it's asking for a lot, guys, but I will be motivated to continue quickly, even while sick, to write the next one. I've actually started writing the next chapter already and it will be longer. The chapters for this story are actually going to be really long, and I will be focusing on this one for a while. It's not going to be too long chapter-wise, but the lengths should make up for it. **

**Please review! Love ya and thanks for reading!**

**~ Dusk**


	2. II: I n k

**Wow! I got a fantastic response from the first chapter. People really seem to be loving this already. I'm so excited! :) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing guys! You have no idea how much it motivates me. I really, really, really love them. * Hugs ***

**Nnnnooowwww… for some more news. I've started writing another Yami/Yuugi, though this one involves incubus/succubus mythology and such. Does that sound interesting? Tell me what you think if you're actually reading this note right now… XD**

**Onward to the next chapter! Enjoy! **

* * *

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**I**

_I n k_

* * *

Today could have not been a more perfect day to set foot on the campus for the first time. His fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of his suitcase, Yuugi fought the urge to just squeak in delight at seeing the massive building before him, the plane tickets still tightly clasped in his opposite hand from his long, exhausting journey from Japan. The many tiresome hours spent traveling from location to location only served more justice into arriving before this beautiful, extravagant place in a short amount of time.

He inhaled the calm, fresh air, gazing up towards the crisp blue sky that stretched over Cambridge—the city in England where the Light & Shadow Academy was located—and admiring the streamlined clouds, white as a bird, crisscrossing over the blue like distracted snakes. Yuugi's excitement only grew after hearing the gentle push of the breeze and the crisp golden and brown leaves that floated from the tall, twisted trees lining the pathway.

The campus itself, from what he could tell so far, was spectacular. It reminded him of one of the larger parks in Domino where he and his grandfather would picnic when he was around five or six years old. The trees in Domino blossomed into pink cherry flowers, but these leaves were crisp, vibrant and different from what he was used to. Patches of freshly cut emerald green grass were squared off, also bordered by small stone fountains, iron benches and even more trees and hedges.

But there was one very odd thing about the campus that caught his attention.

… _Where is everyone?_

Yuugi frowned, glancing around him skeptically to see if there were any other students arriving today. From as far as he could see, he was the only one in this particular part of Cambridge, England that was about to walk into such a prestigious, amazing building.

He triple-checked the directions on the map in his hand to be sure, and he was still right.

_But there's no one here._ Shrugging, the Mutou boy really had no other choice but to move forward.

The building itself, up close, was more daring than he had anticipated. Like it was advertised, it was indeed an old castle, with ancient Gothic designs that reminded him of pictures of palaces from Transylvania. It wasn't vampire-like in nature, but the structure itself was both alluring and… intimidating.

Yuugi was too busy glancing up to observe the mirrors that he nearly crashed into someone—and a girl, no less!

He squeaked and backed up quickly, blinking and observing the stranger with a sheepish smile and a fresh blush cast across his features.

"Hello, and welcome to the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts! I'm Miho Nosaka, and I'll be showing you around the building today." She was so friendly, this Miho, and quite pretty, with her slender figure, big doe eyes and long purple hair. Yuugi could see a girl like her being very popular from where he was originally from.

He then blinked. _Wait…_

"Did you… go to Domino High?"

Miho smiled slightly. "Yes, I did. I'm an alumnus." She giggled and gestured to the doors. "Come on, let me show you around. You're Mr. Yuugi Mutou, aren't you?" She held out her hand, flashing perfectly white teeth and a timely batting of her long lashes.

Yuugi blushed in embarrassment and nodded, tentatively taking the offered hand. "Y-Yeah, I'm Yuugi. Wow, this place is just so…" He glanced around him once more, still baffled and consumed in awe. "It's incredible."

"Yes, well, Mr. Pegasus always makes sure it stands out above the other institutes. I know for a fact that when I first came here, I was floored with how amazing it looked…" Miho turned away from him and headed towards the doors, her soft voice still slipping out to get Yuugi's attention. "Come on, Yuugi. I want to show you around."

He smiled, and gradually complied. The questions he had earlier were soon forgotten.

The tour itself was interesting in the beginning. Miho was a very nice person, but part of it seemed… motivated by other sources. She didn't look like she was enjoying it, and her presence was beginning to feel like she was told to do this for him, instead of on her free will, and that alone made Yuugi uncomfortable. He didn't want another person to suffer for him… it was unnecessary and terribly unfair.

_Maybe I should tell her that I could just find my own way around…? _But would that be a rude request? Maybe he was over-thinking this and she really _did _want to help him out of the kindness of her heart? Or, what if this was some sort of job she had to do? Maybe she was just being nice and her heart would be completely torn open if he asked her to go away…?

Oh, God.

Yuugi sighed, pressing his fingers against his temples after letting his suitcase settle. He glanced ahead to find Miho staring at him with wide eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just a headache." He smiled slightly. "Thanks for asking, though."

"Do you need some medication?" Miho frowned. "I can bring you something if you want. Oh! We're actually close to the medical facilities anyway. I can grab you an Advil or some Tylenol… we have all kinds of western medicine. And if you have a prescription for a type of disorder or, whatever, I guess, we can help you with that too."

Yuugi blinked. Slowly. "Um, that won't be necessary."

He could have _sworn _he saw a look of relief pass through her eyes before she smiled, slapping her hands together and turning on her high heel. "Okay, then! Let's keep going. I'm sure you have a specific area of interest you'd like to look through."

"Um, actually…" He thought about first stepping onto the campus after his long, exhausting flight, and how absolutely no one was present. Was he truly the only new person there?

Miho paused. "Yes?" She didn't even bother turning to look at him this time. Yuugi's ears tinted pink at this action. Was she already bored with him? Annoyed? He found himself wanting to know immediately or it was going to drive him crazy.

He sighed. He needed to relax. So what if she didn't like him?

"Mr. Mutou?"

He snapped out of his stupor, shaking his head. "Oh, right! Sorry. I was just wondering where all of the other new members are. I haven't seen anyone on the campus since I got here."

She stopped, the clicking of her heels echoing through the polished hallways. She cleared her throat before facing him once more, her gaze just a bit more serious. "Maximillion Pegasus only lets the best of the best enter this academy." She paused, turning Yuugi's attention to the numerous, thousands of portraits strewn along the walls, embroidered in gold and the academy's emblem. "See those photographs? Those are the alumni."

Yuugi's throat dried. "All of these people…"

"Those aren't just graduates. That's everyone who's attended."

Just these thousands of people? Only thousands? Not millions? Not hundreds of thousands, but… _thousands_?

"But, isn't that a bit small?" Yuugi could barely wrap his head around it. Was this true? All of these photographs, lined along the walls and showing images of fresh, young faces that would appear no different than the casual person walking down the street in Downtown Domino.

"Yes, it is." Miho smiled. "See? It's only the greatest academy out there, also the most selective. People are extremely lucky to even make it through the application process. You have no idea how hard it is to get in here, Mr. Mutou." Yuugi saw a flash of… something unreadable pass through Miho's eyes before disintegrating as soon as it came. She wasn't making everything clear to him right away, and at the moment he was perfectly fine with that, as long as she was going to be honest with him.

But even then, she seemed odd. Out of place.

"So, you're telling me that this could mean… I'm the only new student here?" Yuugi blinked. "Are you sure?" He didn't want to believe it. He knew plenty of marvelous artists from his high school alone that applied here and would have been accepted on the spot if _he _had gotten in. What was so special about the admissions process anyway?

"It's not that you _could be _the new student here. You _are_ the only one here this year. No one else appeased Mr. Pegasus. He says you're very interesting." She spoke like a robot, quoting the Headmaster almost one hundred percent perfectly.

Yuugi's skin rippled in goose bumps. No way.

Before he could ask another question, the mysterious girl was already walking down the hallway once more, sunlight streaming through the windows casting a halo around her unusual purple hair.

He followed her, trailing behind her in silence.

Many of the rooms were wide and open, some without even doors—they acted more as portals into an entirely new world, with massive rolls of paintings strewn about the walls and mosaic plasters covering the floors. More traditional art, with canvases and stalls and all, were set in more modern arrangements and numbered rooms. No members were detected in these areas, even though Yuugi found the classics more appealing than the computer-generated art rooms.

Some other areas in the academy were geometrically patterned, separate and spiraling and almost designed to confuse whoever would walk inside. Glass tiles, bricks, painted cement, checkerboard patterns and even pinstripes were splashed onto the scenery like ink blots.

Yuugi was fascinated and, at times, fell in love with countless rooming arrangements while struggling to stay behind Miho Nosaka as she explained each room and its significance. At times, she would also get this glazed look in her eyes, like she had been in love with these places once, too, before she became such a shell of a previous self that Yuugi had suspected to be vibrant, joyful, hyperactive… personality traits that suited her young face and gentle eyes.

But she turned more and more frigid as time passed.

Yuugi bit his lip, and made up his mind. He set down his suitcase and began to unzip one of the pockets, pulling out several rolls of parchment that acted as portable canvas materials. Along with this, he uncovered multiple paintbrushes.

"Ms. Nosaka—I mean, uh, Miho?"

The girl blinked and turned to him with a somber smile. "Mr. Mutou, we're not done with the tour yet. I know you're eager to write up your schedule and enter your dorm, but I can't rush through the process—"

"May I please paint you?"

The question lingered in the air, and for a second Miho had no idea what to say. She admonished him with rapidly blinking eyes; her lashes fluttering like the wings of a distracted butterfly. Her hands moved to the hem of her jacket, where she fiddled with the material, as if recalling a nervous habit.

But he looked so hopeful. His eyes were positively beaming, purple and childish and positive. He looked like a little boy, with his paintbrushes and rolls of paper that he was certainly going to use anyway even if she refused.

She had no idea what to say, but…

She bit her lip. "… Why?" She frowned. "Mr. Mutou, it might take too long—"

"I mean, you don't have to pose, if you don't want to." Yuugi frowned, scratching the back of his head with his momentarily free hand. "I know that you're busy, and I love this tour so much, but I feel like… you're tolerating me." He dipped his head in slight shame. "I want to make it up to you. And you seem like you love to model, with how you dress and… was I wrong?"

Miho blinked. Why was he being so generous? They didn't even know each other. "Mr. Mutou—Yuugi, that's asking for too much. Mr. Pegasus would be very angry with me if I were distracted during this tour. He asked me specifically to help you get to know this place, and I don't follow through with it, I'll be punished."

Yuugi shook his head. "Why? Why would this Pegasus person hurt you for wanting to do something different? You're not disobeying him." He gave her an unbelievably reassuring smile, so full of innocence and generosity that it caused Miho's hear to tighten. "And if he asks, you can blame me. I'm okay with it, and really, I need to work on still-life portraits anyway." He smiled even wider. "You'd be helping me in my arts education."

She pondered this for a moment. While it was true she indeed loved to model for aspiring painters, she didn't even know how he guessed it in the first place, and it was too risky.

But at the same time, she deserved a moment of relaxation and selfishness. Just once.

She dipped her head, albeit hesitant. "Um… alright, I guess one _very quick _portrait won't hurt anyone."

Yuugi could not prevent the smile. His happiness was contagious, and Miho found herself smiling too, even when she had several thousands of the same requests in the past for her to model. She never expected this boy's simple question to drive her to a multitude of other solutions, and to have her doing something she loved again felt amazing.

Yuugi had her sitting neatly on one of the wooden stools in the art room. The room itself was already cluttered with majestic projects, including portraits that Yuugi could have only dreamt of creating on his own time. An aquamarine-colored mural of a sea serpent stretched throughout and intertwined around the room's walls like a true myth.

But Yuugi decided to not be distracted and do this for Miho.

He bit his lip, eyeing the plastic containers shoved to one side of the wall with a risen eyebrow. "What are these?"

Miho blinked. "Stashed away paints that no one uses anymore. Outdated and unwanted. Either way, I don't see any reason for you to not use them."

Yuugi smiled, pulling several perfectly needed colors from these containers. He turned to Miho with a bright, wide smile. "Okay, so this won't take long."

He peeled off his jacket and set it to the side. A flash of determination and focus suddenly blossomed in the young man's eyes, and Miho could not suppress her surprise at such a change. The way he moved and the way he glanced at her to make sure he was piecing everything together correctly made her heart thump faster.

His strokes with the brush were, at times, gentle and polished, the true grasp of a prodigy. Miho could tell from the other side of the portrait, her hands folded on her lap and her lips pulled forward into a more mentionable, modest smile. She was doing the best she could for a pose that was not provocative but casual, which she had never done before.

A slight stir occurred in the room, which Yuugi was too focused to notice, putting all of his emotional and intellectual energy into one simple portrait for a girl he believed deserved a break.

But Miho noticed it.

And her reaction could only equal that of inner, raw panic.

"Mr. Mutou, we need to stop." She got up from her stool and glanced around her, eyes suddenly wide and frantic. Paranoid.

Yuugi blinked, snapping out of his artistic phase and morphing back into the innocent, ethical young man that was childish at heart. "Wait, what? But, I'm almost finished—"

"No, you don't understand!" She could see it all, and she quickly grabbed the paints he was using and shoved them back into the plastic shelves. She smoothed down her skirt and jacket, grabbing the handle of Yuugi's suitcase. "Come! We have to go _now_."

Yuugi started to panic as well, and was still oblivious to the rising current of wind and… energy? What was that lingering in the terrifying air?

Miho's skin rose in gooseflesh, the hairs along her neck spiking up like that of a porcupine's. "Yuugi!" She breathed, her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip as she snatched several art supplies from where he set them and put them back in place in the other parts of the room. The currents grew louder, and she was acting stranger and stranger by the second.

He shook his head and bolted out of the room as fast he could, not at all for his own fear. No, he was extremely worried about Miho. She followed close behind, panting and breathless, with her purple hair, once so neat and tidy, flying about and bristled from its messy ponytail. She was disheveled from her frantic sprinting around the art room, her fingers still shaking and her skin ghostly pale.

What… the hell happened?

Yuugi held the rough portrait of the pretty girl in his free hand, guiltily looking over at her. Whatever triggered her reaction, it clearly had something to do with him. How could have been so insensitive? Maybe she didn't want to pose for him and he pushed her into it anyway?

He was positively crestfallen. How could he do that to her?

"Miho…" He sighed. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't know what happened in there but I now know that you're probably very angry with me. I shouldn't have talked you into posing. I'm so sorry and this won't happen again."

He stopped, noticing that she was still shaken. She looked positively terrified.

He blinked. "Miho?"

She shook her head, straightening down her clothes furiously and turning to him with calming eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mutou. Forgive me for that outburst." A soft, tender grin laced across her lips. "You don't understand how much your request meant to me. It was very heartfelt and I really appreciated it. This academy will really like you just because you're so generous, at least, to me. Don't lose that." She dipped her head apologetically. "My reaction was… called for other purposes."

Something else hung in the air after her statement. His blood chilling to ice, Yuugi kept his gaze forward to try and acknowledge the girl in front of him, and only her. For some strange reason, he didn't want to even go near that room they were just in. It was almost as if that blue-green dragon was eyeing them from its prison in the wall, desperate for new prey.

He shivered at the thought, and bit his lip.

_Come on, Yuugi, she's just being nice because you scared her. Maybe she has some sort of trauma related to modeling! You can't just ask people out of the blue like that._

The girl tilted her head to the side. "Come. We shouldn't be here anymore." She basically rushed him away from the room's entrance, keeping her gaze fixated on the long hallways ahead of them. "Now, let's go this way. There's still a lot that I need to show you."

Yuugi frowned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She hesitated, but her voice was surprisingly more intact than he expected. "Yes. I'm fine. Thank you for asking. Now, if you don't mind, I would like it if we could get through this tour now."

Her comment stung. He flinched, but nodded in understanding and continued following her. For the remainder of the tour, everything seemed normal despite Miho Nosaka's mental breakdown only several minutes prior. Yuugi couldn't even pay attention anymore he was so racked with guilt. Why didn't she just come out and say that he bothered her with his request? Why did she take it so suddenly and so adamantly when it clearly affected her in the end? She wasn't happy with him and he could tell.

_I shouldn't have been so insensitive. I have to make it up to her somehow. _

It was a grueling habit that he had obtained as a child. Guilt worked itself into Yuugi's mind and heart, twisted and suffocated his senses until he gave in. He hated being the cause of someone else's misery, even if they deserved it. It just wasn't in his personality to _want _to hurt someone; it didn't make any sense to the kind boy to enact revenge. His grandfather Sugoroku would always praise him for being so selfless and kind, but Yuugi would always consider those words and take them into negativity.

If he were so selfless, he wouldn't have insisted for her to model for him.

_Maybe I am over-thinking this? _He shrugged. At this point, he knew Miho Nosaka was almost impossible to read. On first impression, she appeared like a lighthearted and happy girl, but as moments passed, she seemed like a robot programmed specifically for leading him around as a tour guide. And now… he really wasn't sure who she was.

The fact that there were currently no other students for him to compare her to at the moment made his suspicions grow. Where was everyone?

He would have to ask her later when she was in a more stable state of mind.

And then the awkward silence was broken, shattered into millions of pieces that he would never be able to pick up and piece together again. Because, for all his entirety, he didn't want to. The new sounds that penetrated the barriers of the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts were soothing, breathtaking.

It was music. A violin. The tune only seemed to grow louder, and Yuugi strayed from his current path, his suitcase—and Miho Nosaka—forgotten.

He couldn't resist it. Who could be playing something so beautiful? And yet, haunting? The chords and notes hung through the air like vapor, saturating the momentary awkward atmosphere and positive emotions and sapping them up. Like a viper injecting venom into its prey, the tune flowed, poisoning and causing multiple emotions that Yuugi would have never thought possible to swim through his mind and soul.

He was entranced. Art had always fascinated him, but it was the musical arts that distracted him the most, and proved to be the most challenging. Sugoroku would tell him that his father had known how to play the piano and the harp, and would sing to Yuugi when he was a newborn in his mother's arms.

Maybe that was what triggered his fascination with his music, even when he was too scared as a child to attempt to learn it himself. It seemed so complicated, and reserved for the true geniuses that deserved to master its craft.

He stopped around the corner, where the music's source was clearly hidden. Yuugi peeked inside, hoping he wasn't intruding on anyone, and he found himself paused—positively frozen—in place, at the sight before him.

The music suited the tone of the one massive room perfectly. It looked like a performing arts rehearsal area, where a rather small but still manageable wooden stage was detected on the far end of the room. Dozens of powerful instruments were lined along the walls, untouched and possibly unnoticed for years. Many, many canvases were painted over with extravagant patterns, shapes and colors that Yuugi had never seen put together before. It was a glorious, gorgeous mess, something he could have only concocted in his dreams.

But the music shifted into something more disturbing, as if it reached with a hand towards Yuugi's soul and tugged with all its might.

His gaze lowered from observing the room, and to the source of the lovely sounds. Sitting there, with his back turned to him, had to have been another student. He couldn't see his face, but his clothes were considerably basic yet attractive in an odd, clandestine way. Leather pants and boots were detected from beneath the stool where the stranger sat, spiky tricolored hair that oddly resembled Yuugi's own, but more severe, sticking out in all directions. Nimble fingers graced the antique violin in the man's skilled hands, the long-sleeved, black collared shirt he was wearing very contrasting to the rest of his outfit. He was a contradiction that he didn't expect to notice.

Yuugi's breath hitched, and the stranger stopped.

How could he stop playing? It was so mesmerizing, so wonderful, so emotional. It would be a crime to stop now, when he was about to reach the climax of a brilliant song.

Yuugi swallowed as the figure turned, and a sudden shift in the air turned palpable. With a greasy, ghostly hand the new sensation swept over Yuugi's muscles, loosening his shoulders and causing his posture to lax.

His deep eyes widened once the stranger was taking full notice of him. There was nothing following this confrontation but silence.

"I-I'm sorry," he whispered, still in awe by the breathtaking music and the scene before him that somehow fit together so perfectly, and yet, so terribly. It was an artist's macabre fantasy, slashed into scrapped thoughts and dreams that painters and sculptors would stash in the backs of their minds. "Please, don't stop playing."

Instead of responding, the figure stood up, and turned around to face Yuugi.

The Mutou boy was breathless. With his features in view, the stranger held one of the most interesting and intricately shaped faces he had ever seen. The bone structure was so noble and demanding, with a sharp, attractive structure, and broiling crimson eyes. They blazed like pools of liquid gemstone, savage and thirsty for… something Yuugi couldn't exactly read. He was confident in the way he stood, but mysterious.

And he didn't say a single word, just glared with those fierce crimson eyes that burned holes into Yuugi's heart and soul.

He swallowed, but he wasn't afraid. He wanted to hear that music again. He wanted to know this stranger, learn about him.

"That was amazing," Yuugi breathed, shaking his head. "Incredible. I've never heard something so magnificent in my life. Please, can you play that again? Just one last time?" Was he asking too much? The stranger didn't even twitch at the gesture.

He just… stared.

The change in the air shifted once more, and Yuugi found himself comforted again. It was so odd, to feel so different when he was far away from the stranger, this student that appeared like a walking painting. So luminous and mysterious, and he had only seen him for less than five minutes.

Yuugi's cheeks tinted pink as he realized he was staring like an idiot. "I'm sorry! I'll leave you to practice. I shouldn't have intruded." He ducked his head and tried to move along, but he noticed that the other man was still staring at him.

Was he… observing him? No. He was just watching him. He was clearly frustrated that Yuugi interrupted his practice and wanted him to leave. It was simple.

"Mr. Mutou!"

Yuugi jumped and turned with a wide smile once Miho Nosaka dashed down the hallway, his suitcase rolling behind her. She caught up to him with narrowed eyes and her breath escaping her.

"I can't believe I lost you that easily! Don't sneak off like that again—," she lost her voice as soon as she saw the man Yuugi was just speaking to. Her pupils dilated, and her entire body went frigid.

Yuugi looked at her. "Couldn't you hear that music he was playing? It was amazing."

Miho shook her head, grabbing Yuugi's arm and pulling him beside her. "Come on, Yuugi. We need to go." She was shaking again. She was terrified, and while she was pulling Yuugi beside her, he realized that the man was still staring at them.

Immobilized. Still. Silent.

_Glaring_.

A chill raced up Yuugi's spine.

"But, Miho—"

"Mr. Mutou, we need to _go_." She hesitated and made sure they were out of sight before turning to him with wide, frantic eyes. "Listen, you can never go back in that room. It's off-limits. Okay? Mr. Pegasus will have both of our heads if you're caught in there. Trust me, you never want to be in there. Don't follow the music; don't do anything involving that room. Okay?"

Yuugi frowned. Why was she avoiding the boy? "Miho, that boy… who was he?"

Her face flushed, and she stood back, keeping her head low and her gaze distant. "… Don't worry about him. He's not important. Mr. Pegasus just doesn't like it when people go in there. If… if _that boy _wants to get in trouble with Mr. Pegasus, he can on his own watch. But right now I'm supposed to get you through this tour in, hopefully, one piece. So let's go and I can show you to your dorm." She plastered on an expertly crafted fake smile. "Okay? I'm sure that would be much better."

Yuugi shook his head. He had so many questions, so many scattered thoughts zipping through his mind that he couldn't keep track of them. But right now, he knew that Miho was positively scared out of her mind and she just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Yuugi didn't understand why she was so afraid, but for now he was going to be the selfless one, as usual, and do what she asked.

He smiled and grabbed his suitcase from her trembling hands.

"Okay, Miho. I'm fine with that. I can't wait to settle in my dorm anyway."

* * *

"And _this _is where you will be sleeping." Miho smiled as she opened one of the dorm rooms.

Like the rest of the beautiful building, the inside appeared classy yet easily open to modification. On one side of the room, which Yuugi guessed was his current roommate's side; he could see multiple movie posters and advertisements featuring the popular card game _Duel Monsters_.

Yuugi's eyes bulged wide. He loved that game. On top of that minor detail that he grew to appreciate, several gaming consoles were scattered about, along with filthy clothes and empty DVD and record cases that were probably never going to be found again.

Miho blinked at the display and sighed. "Well, Katsuya is always cleaning something up when the patrol stops by. But he's a nice guy at heart. His old roommate, Honda Hiroto, moved three rooms down, so you'll be seeing him often." A light, gentle glaze suddenly passed through her eyes, and Yuugi happened to actually catch this affectionate gesture.

He smiled and set his suitcase in the small area, scratching his neck. "Thanks." So apparently his roommate was a gamer and a slob. He hoped he was at least welcoming, but at this point he couldn't ask for too much.

He just wanted to be sure he really wasn't the _only _newcomer here.

"Now, if you need any assistance for your schedule, please contact the admissions office or just ping me. My number's tagged to your suitcase; Mr. Pegasus made sure of that." Miho nodded and straightened out her skirt for the last time. "I'll get Katsuya to come and see you. Oh, well, actually his first name is Jounouchi, but he goes by either title." The first genuine smile he had seen all day suddenly etched onto her tiny lips. "See you."

And with that, she closed the door, the clicking of her heels echoing after her departure.

Yuugi sighed, glancing over his side of the room in comparison to Jounouchi Katsuya's. They looked exactly the same in terms of furnishing, with a decently sized bed lain over with navy blue sheets and a casual blanket. It was entirely blank, and for right now Yuugi wanted to keep it that way.

_But that boy… who was he? _Crimson eyes hardened into a stone-cold glare suddenly flashed through Yuugi's mind, and his hands twitched. He wanted to draw that boy, try to capture his many wonderful qualities that normally artists would discover in things that didn't exist. _So why are you so fascinating? _

That was the perfect word for it. Fascinating.

Yuugi bit his lip and dug through his suitcase, pulling out the art supplies that he managed to throw inside right before he left for Domino's airport. He pulled out several paintbrushes, pencils and charcoal. He was going to need a lot in order to practice.

"Hey, so Miho said I gotta new roommate—hey!"

Yuugi nearly jumped, his entire face flushing an intense pink at seeing the door barged open with a tall, lanky blonde standing there with many grocery bags stuffed with food in his arms. He was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a woolen mustard yellow sweater that probably smelled if observed too closely. He blinked several times at seeing his "surprise" roommate, and turned to the man beside him, who was dressed similarly but had different brunette hair and a more muscular build.

"Hey, man! Are you Yuugi Mutou?" Jounouchi grinned and dropped his bags by his bed, letting the food topple all over the floor as he glanced over Yuugi's currently very clean state. "Eh… sorry 'bout da mess. I was gonna clean it eventually, but—"

"But he's too lazy," the brunette cut in, smirking lazily.

Yuugi frowned and immediately felt awkward and intrusive. "I'm sorry, I should've come to find you and introduce myself."

The blonde, which Yuugi guessed was Jounouchi, blinked at this statement and shook his head. "Man, don' worry 'bout it. It's not a big deal. Welcome to the LSA." He stretched out his hand in greeting, a goofy smile displayed over his friendly features. "Name's Jounouchi Katsuya."

Yuugi grinned, gradually taking the hand. "Yuugi Mutou."

Jounouchi placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "Eh, I think I'm gonna like ya, man." He glared comically at the brunette, who was leaning by the doorway with a bored expression on his face. "Honda, get yer ass in here!"

"I am in here, asshole." Honda grinned at Yuugi. "Hey, man. Nice to meet you."

Yuugi smiled widely. He was definitely going to like these two. They seemed so friendly and much more relaxed than Miho Nosaka, even when it was clear that she knew them and was probably even friends with them.

"So, again, sorry 'bout the mess." Jounouchi rolled his eyes, gesturing with widely spread, lean arms toward his posters, practically upturned mattress and scattered consoles all over the carpet.

Yuugi was then reminded of something. "You play _Duel Monsters_?"

"Hell yeah, man!" Jounouchi blinked. "You play?"

"Yeah. My grandpa owns a game shop in Domino City, Japan." Jounouchi's face practically glowed at this statement, and before long Yuugi was laughing at the blonde's temperament and antics that he really didn't expect from his first roommate.

It felt so weird talking like this. Anzu never played the games he did and would often tell him to try to make guy friends while in high school, but that was too difficult with his constant urge to draw and express his emotions through paper and pencil.

But he knew this was going to be a nice change of pace.

* * *

For three days, life in the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts seemed perfectly normal.

Jounouchi and Honda were very interesting and relatable, and Yuugi learned so much about their backstories. They happened to come from Domino, Japan, like Miho Nosaka had, and apparently they went to a school similar to Yuugi's own. However, they were two years older than him and were prestigious in entirely different talents.

Which was odd, since neither of them seemed like artistic types. Jounouchi was focusing on becoming a graphic designer, and was far too ecstatic when showing Yuugi his T-shirt designs, sporting a very interesting black dragon with exotic red eyes. The design was spectacular, and Yuugi commented that it would definitely sell well if Jounouchi learned to train himself in the marketing department. Honda was less focused and more scattered with his goals, but the two of them acted like they were brothers, constantly bickering and laughing and beating each other on random moments.

Yuugi paused, gazing at his sandwich with a lack of interest. He, Jounouchi and Honda had decided to move to the outside of the building for lunch, as Honda was kind enough to treat all three of them with sandwiches and French fries, which Yuugi hadn't eaten in ages. He didn't expect to find food so Americanized in Cambridge, but it would definitely do.

Sitting beneath the beautiful autumn-colored tree and basking in its shade, Yuugi caught sight of only several hundreds of other students talking amongst themselves and laughing. It was interesting seeing them now when during the remainder of his tour with Miho he barely saw anyone. She had mentioned that their schedules were more relaxed and they were allowed to roam in Cambridge or around the gorgeous campus whenever they chose, but it was still an odd notion to him.

The first student he saw was that mysterious, incredibly handsome boy playing the violin in that crazy unpopulated room.

Yuugi blinked and turned to Jounouchi, who was busy stuffing himself with a meatball-filled sub sandwich. "Jou," Yuugi started, waiting until the blonde was slurping the sauce from his fingers.

"Yeah, Yuug'? What's up?" He grinned before reaching for another fry.

"I was wondering… when Miho was giving me the tour around this place, I saw someone."

Honda blinked, despite a light coloring of his cheeks at the mentioning of the pretty purple-haired lady. "You actually saw someone on her tour? Dude, when she showed me around I didn't see anyone."

"Yeah, but it was one person," Yuugi interjected. He scratched his ear, pondering. "He was so quiet, but he was playing a violin and he was all alone in this huge room. He had hair kind of like mine." Why was it suddenly so hard to describe him? "And red eyes."

Jounouchi frowned. "Oh, man. You met him?" He rolled his eyes. "That freak is Yami Sennen. No one knows that much about him. He just kinda shows up around the building. Creepy bastard."

Yuugi blinked. "Is he really that bad?" And his name was Yami. How ironic. _Darkness. I guess it's fitting, but… is that even his real name?_

"Who?" Honda blinked.

"You know. Spiky hair. Creepy red eyes. Looks like he can gouge your soul out just by lookin' at ya."

The brunette pondered for a moment, but shook his head. "Still have no idea," Honda muttered. "Well, if he just shows up from time to time, I guess that makes sense that I haven't seen him."

Yuugi frowned, shrugging his shoulders while fiddling with his sandwich. He had already lost his appetite. "Weird…" And Miho was positively terrified of him as well.

Just _who_ was this Yami Sennen?

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**Aaannnnnddd that ends chapter two! A little longer than the other. They're all going to be about this length, a page shorter or a couple pages longer. It'll depend on the all-around feel of the story.**

**I had an amazingly lovely reception from the last chapter and I greatly appreciate it, guys! I really, really do. You warm my soul and I long to give you cookies, but unfortunately my baking skills suck and I can't just show up on your doorsteps with terribly made pastries… :/**

**AND NOW, I would like to set a new goal. By chapter three, I would like to have…**

* * *

AT LEAST

30

REVIEWS

* * *

… **and again, I know that it's asking a lot but I know that you guys can do it. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, so please leave a review and tell me what you think. I can't believe I updated this quickly but when you have sick, man, you have a hell of a lot of free time. So thanks so much for the love guys and I can't wait to hear from you!**

**~ Dusk**


	3. III: Close Encounter

**I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed/alerted/read and critiqued this story. I can't express to you how much I appreciate it, and for that I hope you enjoy the next chapter. **

**Enjoy you wonderful people!**

* * *

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**III**

_Close Encounter_

* * *

_The smoke emitted the scent of scorched flesh and desperation. Thousands of untold emotions were trapped within the eyes of the victim, permanently abandoned in a void of no escape. The blackened walls closed in on their target, hammering with the promise of demise and death that the Grim Reaper only wished to have accomplished with such style—_

"Yuug'… what are you painting?"

Yuugi snapped out of his concentration, the brushstroke barely missing the curl of the pillars of smoke on his canvas. He had just finished broadening the crown of oranges, reds and yellows that formed the flames. Specks of black dotted the periwinkle background, overshadowing a perfectly assembled line of blurred trees.

He sighed and smiled at his blonde friend, covered head to toe in splotches of paint. Whenever he concentrated, he never paid attention to the mess that would follow, and that included when he happened to be the prime target of the droplets. "I'm painting a forest fire."

"Have you seen one?" Jounouchi muttered, observing Yuugi's artistic style with interest. His chocolate eyes nearly sparkled. "Wow, Yuug'. I've never seen a style like dis before. How do you even make the flames look like that?"

The Mutou blushed in sheepishness, shrugging. "Practice, I guess." It wasn't a lie, of course. He had painted, sculpted, _created _anything he could since he could barely walk and talk. It was just one of his passions, and it drove his life forward and inspired him each and every day.

"It's cool," the blonde finished with a smirk.

This class, Introduction to Stylized Painting, was one of the simpler classes and provided the students a more engrossing environment, with no instructor, but several buckets of paint, accessories and a guideline on the blackboard. Every now and then Yuugi would glance over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching him, if there really was a teacher lurking in the darkness and harshly grading his or her performances.

During high school, he found that trying to remain secretive was a terrible mistake. Danger and deception lurked around every corner in Domino High School, and Yuugi happened to take the brunt of a lot of things, especially when it came to his talents. Quietly huddled in the library during lunch, he was scolded and chastised by his own classmates (other than his ever-faithful friend Anzu) just because of what he loved.

He knew he wasn't the only victim concerning that subject. He didn't know how Miho Nosaka coped in Domino High School, since she was an alumnus, and so far she was one of the most puzzling people he'd ever met.

It had only been one week since she gave him a tour around the campus, and she acted like three different people put into one body. The beautiful, purple-haired graduate was trembling and screaming and suddenly bursting into happy smiles in less than twenty minutes after odd occurrences in the building.

And since then, Yuugi had been wondering about her, hoping she was okay. It was in his nature to be concerned for another person, and even though he barely knew Miho and for the most part, she kind of terrified him, he still felt empathy for her.

The familiar clicking of heels grabbed Yuugi's attention, some of the other students turning as well as Miho Nosaka strolled into the room. Once again, she wore this painfully wide smile, presentable only towards those who were foolish enough to not glance past it. Her hands folded on her opposite arms, lavender hair still strung up in that fancy yellow ribbon, and her eyes were downcast.

"I'm just checking in before reporting to Mr. Pegasus. Looks like everything is running smoothly!" She clapped her hands together once. "Any complaints?"

No one said anything, though Yuugi noticed Honda at the corner of his eye turning a light shade of bashful red.

He blinked in curiosity. Was Honda…?

Miho Nosaka practically hop-skipped out of the room, her hair brushing Honda's shoulder and causing his throat to tighten. Jounouchi snickered at the gesture, turning to Yuugi with a broad grin and a wink.

"Honda's got it bad for Miho."

Yuugi frowned. "Oh." Did Miho even feel emotional attachment to anyone? She seemed so distant, so crisscrossed in her beliefs and totally lost. He was a decent judge of character, but after that whole episode during the tour…

And that mysterious boy in the abandoned music room who frightened her, Yuugi knew that she was not who she appeared to be. She was scared to death, and she was now a woman known to him that walked back and forth between rooms as both sides of one coin.

"Is she a student?" Yuugi muttered, not really asking anyone in particular since the question was normally stuck in his mind.

Jounouchi shrugged. "Kinda. Pegasus has her check on the classrooms every once in a while, but I've never actually seen her in one of the rooms."

Yuugi glanced back at his project, the towers of smoke suddenly becoming more apparent. He wondered if his inspiration would click if he thought of this girl more, of the sadness in her deep eyes and the troubled air that followed her every step.

"She's cute, though. I can see why Honda digs her," Jounouchi added, snickering slightly and elbowing Yuugi. "Right, Yuug'?" The blonde's eyes then sparked with another question, lowering his voice. "Hey, Yuugi, you gotta girlfriend?"

Now, this was a surprise.

Yuugi blushed, his fingertips pressing into the paintbrush at an alarmingly hard rate. He knew his skin was about to turn white, but the question was so… unguarded and unusual. He had never been asked that before. Sure, his grandfather would tease him in regards to his romantic life since he never really had any crushes in the past, and was never approached by any admiring suitors either.

He modestly scratched the back of his head, flecks of dried paint falling from his fingernails as he did so. "Um… no."

"Aw, c'mon, no need to be modest, buddy!" Jounouchi smirked, winking. "I bet you there's a pretty girl waiting in Domino for ya, just aching for you to come back."

Yuugi cracked a smile. "Well I know for a fact that's not true." It didn't bother him, either. It never had and he suspected that it wouldn't anytime soon. He was often so absorbed in painting and drawing that he paid little attention to even the possibility of having a romantic relationship. Domino was full of beautiful people, but even that was just for the shallow hearts.

He didn't have experience, but he was not shallow by any means. The Mutou knew that if he wanted to pursue romance, he would set his standards to the line that his parents would have wanted. If they were still alive, they would want him to chase after his dreams and his passions before succumbing to love.

The likelihood was so farfetched though that he didn't have to worry about it.

"I-I haven't thought about it," Yuugi admitted, still embarrassed from even thinking about it. No one would ever look at him anyway; as the bullies had told him all throughout high school, he was hideous, too short, and too quiet.

He didn't believe he was ugly or that he had a terrible personality, but he wasn't surprised of the insults, either. Maybe when he was younger, he was more absorbed in the atmosphere? Playing the victim?

Jounouchi shrugged. "Well, I gotta hand it to ya, buddy, neither have I." He grinned. "I know that's probably a shocker—"

"Jou, your sculpture's melting." Yuugi smiled as Jounouchi blanched and quickly rushed to his clay sculpture ("innocently" molded into the shape of a curvaceous woman) and tried desperately to save it. The heaters were overpowering and if Yuugi hadn't pointed it out, Jounouchi's sculpture would have been lost.

The blonde shoved his hands into his pockets after reassembling the painted clay. "Damn… dat was close."

"Wow, Jou. Idiot, much?"

"Hey! Shut your trap, Honda!"

Yuugi blinked and nearly turned away from his painting. Nearly. "Guys! You can't fight in here!" Some students glanced up to observe the bickering brunette and blonde, but they would turn away as soon as this happened. They weren't at all interested in the affairs of the other two.

Honda glowered and backed away, staring across the room and observing the posters of sketches on the walls. "Let's ditch."

"So you can find your girlfriend?" Jounouchi grinned.

"No, Jou! Sshh!" Honda growled, his cheeks tinting pink. "Don't say it so loud!"

"I'm not. It's obvious, anyway. I could be mute and everyone would know."

"Shut the fuck up!" Honda growled and his fists clenched, but there was a clear friendly irritation in his dark eyes that Yuugi recognized. He didn't know these two for more than a week, but they had quickly grown on him and even in that short amount of time he managed to learn how to read their expressions and distinguish them from each other.

Jounouchi rolled his eyes, folding his arms behind his head. "Hey, Yuug', wanna go now?"

The Mutou blinked and turned to look at him with surprised, widened eyes. Why were they leaving so soon? "I think I want to finish this…"

"Oh, okay. Well, we'll meet you during lunch, 'kay?" Jounouchi smirked. "We won't wander off, promise." He and Honda disappeared around the corner. Within minutes members of the Light & Shadow Academy poured out of the room like watercolors spilling across paper. Their blurred faces vanished, and Yuugi was free to once again turn to his newest creation.

He dabbed in the more vibrant colors, tidying up the flames and adding a more realistic feel to the trees in the background. He didn't know why he had been itching to draw something as oddly morbid as a forest fire. Maybe it occurred in a dream he couldn't remember? The twisted branches of the firs and pines, the tendrils of smoke grabbing at the victims' nostrils and suffocating their throats, the fire spiraling out of control…

The image was so powerful, so expressive. Within thinking about it Yuugi's brain activated like a popcorn machine and would not be satisfied until he could paint.

_Just a little more over here… _He licked his lips in anticipation, applying details to the shredded, burning leaves, to the embers sparked on the canvas as multicolored ink blots.

He found that he liked the quieter room all to himself more than just one large collage of talking people, barely focused on their projects and pinpointing their energy sources into conversation. In Domino, most of the students would rather grab his hair and shove his face into a bucket of paint than actually listen to the instructor.

The clock on the wall ticked. Minutes passed, the young artist absorbed and forgetting the world around him with ease. He would further lose himself in the image he was creating, losing a pinch of reality step by step.

A chilling breeze suddenly snaked through the room, shuffling the posters along the wall and rattling the supply of sequins and beads in the corner. His skin rippling in goose bumps, Yuugi rubbed his hands together, frowning at the odd change in temperature. It was so warm before; maybe it was because everyone had left? Being by himself, alone in the room, suddenly made everything a bit more… surreal.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. He glanced over at one of the windows and realized it was slightly open.

_Weird. I could've sworn all of the windows were closed when class started. _

Another frostbitten gust carried through the room, and the door slammed shut. His heart leaping in his chest at the sound, Yuugi swallowed the lump in his throat and walked back towards his painting. The window could wait. Maybe he just needed to clear his head.

But the cold sensation never left.

He shivered and rubbed his temples. _Don't worry about it, Yuugi. There's nothing strange going on. Maybe there's something wrong with the air conditioner. _It was reasonable, he guessed. Even the most top-notch of academies in the world had faulty air conditioning systems every once in a while, right?

Yuugi inhaled shakily and continued work on his painting. He couldn't be distracted now. Art was his form of escape—he couldn't let it turn into a fear at this point, not after everything he had been through.

After five short minutes he managed to spice up the image of his work; trees engulfed by an angry storm of fire, placed within the heart of a barrier of smoke and debris. He wondered if he should add a terrified face, or give the impression that someone was screaming for help in the midst of the dying woods.

He'd painted morbid things before, but he never actually finished ideas that stemmed from the more macabre pictures in his mind. Daydreaming, he would think of countless subjects to draw and would find the earliest opportunity to at least sketch the image before it would vanish. His attention span paid a huge debt to that.

His stomach rumbled, and he blushed. _Maybe I should've left with Jou anyway. _He smiled sheepishly, glad that no one was around to see or hear that.

Hopping off his stool, he moved all of the art supplies to the required corner in the room, where he set the brushes to sit in a cup of clear water to peel off the paint. He removed his canvas from the easel and placed it on a long white table. Setting it down beside the other paintings made his look even better than he expected.

_Hmmm… _Glancing over his work, Yuugi noticed that one of the corners were smudged. Biting his lip, he walked around the table. _I'm sure there's something in here that can fix that until I can paint again… _It was going to drive him crazy whenever he looked at it, and he had already put the brushes and paint away…

Grumbling, Yuugi examined the room once more, trying to spot anything that would stick out to him. Just a small tool to fix the smudge on the canvas…

His eyes widened, a smile crossing his lips as he saw one of the supply closets, a large label imprinted on the left door:

**ART TOOLS & SCRAPBOOKS**

Scrapbooks?

He blinked, curiosity controlling the remainder of his body and mind as he motioned towards the two doors. Cautiously, he tested the metallic handlebars, wincing at the cold chill that immediately sprang up his spine at first contact. Sighing, he endured this and pulled both of the doors open, his pupils dilating in surprise.

There were plastic bins full of art tools that he could have easily used to fix the smudge, but this held his attention for less than ten seconds. Scattered along the floor, the walls and even the ceiling were unfinished, recklessly drawn portraits, paintings and altogether heaps of scrapped works that probably once littered the classroom.

Glancing over his shoulder to make sure he was still alone, the Mutou reached over and picked up one of the small piles. The edges were frayed and he could tell that most of these were on-the-road sketches, similar to the ones in his own notebook. He remembered that he used to draw in between classes all the time at Domino High School, which only made thievery of his artwork even more susceptible.

Shoving these thoughts to the back of his mind, he walked towards the table and spread out several of the scrapped pieces, observing each one intently.

They all varied. Some were colorless, forgotten outlines, while others were halfway completed and were destined to be stunning masterpieces if given the opportunity. Whoever drew these had a talented hand, paying careful attention to the smallest detail and applying some of the more unusual traits to artwork that Yuugi had seen so far.

One of the weirder things he discovered was that one of the crumpled up, harder-to-examine images was blotted with wine. The mauve color was faded from over time, but he could tell that the artist tried this on purpose.

_Some of these aren't even bad. _He frowned, but then his lips twitched into a small grin as he pulled out one of the less impressive pieces. It was a simple sketch of a dog, only halfway finished with the rest of its body missing, but its ears, eyes and happily opened mouth were finely detailed.

He ran his fingers over the rest of the sketch, his drawing hand practically twitching. It was someone else's work, forgotten and left in the back of that supply closet for so long… no one would notice if he touched up some of the details on this one sketch, right? No one would even pay a second thought to rummaging through the scrap piles in the supply closet.

_Maybe I should do this later, though. Jou might be waiting for me. _He was pondering the many, many reasons he should just leave and pretend he never saw the sketches in the first place. What would Miho Nosaka say at seeing him shuffle through someone else's artwork?

But it _was _scrapped. Maybe the student who drew them wasn't even there anymore?

Curious, Yuugi folded the sketch of the dog and fit it neatly in his pocket. He was going to examine it later when he was in a less comfortable location.

But when he glanced up, his entire face paled and his heart dropped to his toes. Inches away from his horror-stricken, embarrassed, and rapidly reddening features, was the stoic face of the man he saw only days before, delivering enchanting music…

Yami.

Yuugi screamed, reeling back in his chair and flinging his arms up, collapsing onto the ground once his balance gave way. Shame immediately scribbled into his mind, berating him for his snoopy actions. Shaking his head, and the fear starting to dissipate, he noticed that the room had once again grown very, very cold.

"What were you doing with these?" The solid, frosty demand was delivered through a smooth bass voice that Yuugi found himself instantly liking.

The Mutou blushed further as he stood up, pushing down his shirt and staring sheepishly into the other student's unreadable expression. Up close, the stranger was even more appealing, with the sharp angles of his jawline and nose clearly visible, and the strangely similar multicolored hair appearing more natural than he had originally expected.

Yuugi found his voice as the stranger leaned forward.

_Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god—_

"I-I was…" Yuugi stuttered. What was he doing? He was supposed to leave with the others anyway before he even finished his portrait. How was he going to explain this incident if it was reported to Miho? Or worse, Pegasus?

"Snooping, it looks like," Yami muttered, glancing over the scrapped pieces of artwork with narrowing eyes. "Why?"

Yuugi frowned. As intimidating as this man was, he could have at least introduced himself before walking ominously into the room and scaring the crap out of him.

Feeling slightly more relaxed but still disappointed in himself, Yuugi dipped his head. "I was finishing a project," he began, gesturing to the paintings lined up neatly on the rest of the white table, "and I noticed a flaw on my canvas." He bit his lip as the stranger only nodded, as if saying, "continue". "Well, I couldn't find the smudging tools, you know, the ones used for charcoal?"

He immediately felt like an idiot for asking such a question. Any of the students in the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts would know what a smudging tool was!

_Great going, Yuugi_, he thought, grumbling and burying his face into his hands.

"Those drawings… are not yours. You have no business searching through them." His words stung.

Yuugi's fingers curled into his palms. "Listen, I know that I made a mistake. Just please don't report this to Miho! O-or Pegasus! I promise that I won't do this again." He didn't even bother questioning why this Yami character was so territorial over the supply closet, but at this point he didn't care. He was exposed for something very minor, but as usual he over-thought and over-analyzed. "I promise."

Yami's expression remained unchanged, his hands in his pockets and his gaze unfocused.

Yuugi blinked at this, scratching the back of his head. "Um…"

"Those drawings are mine," Yami added, locking eyes with Yuugi. The Mutou lost his breath. "Were mine," he corrected, crimson orbs flicking towards the other piles of scraps hidden in the closet. "As are the rest of those."

Yuugi shook his head to regain his composure. This stranger carried himself with so much authority, so much relaxation and yet with the most emotionless and unreadable countenance he had ever seen. How was he even supposed to determine what he was thinking?

"I'm sorry," he muttered again. He didn't know what else to say.

"You don't need to apologize," Yami whispered, and this caught Yuugi completely off-guard. Noticing Yuugi's widened eyes and paling cheeks, the student continued, this time with the same authoritative tone he held before. "But that sketch you were trying to steal is not yours."

"I-I'm sorry."

Yami turned to glance at the windows, his profile causing Yuugi's drawing hand to twitch. He desperately wanted to draw this man's perfection, to constantly examine and express the details needed from this oddly symmetrical and proportional face and slender physique that many would have envied.

His momentary fascination was broken as the other teen addressed him. "Which one of these is yours?"

_So much for greetings…_

Yuugi slightly pouted, however glad that the situation with the sketches were forgotten. Smoothing down his sleeves and jeans, he quickly bounded over to the paintings and gestured towards the one that definitely stood out, with its vibrant yet shadowed colors and terrifying images.

Yami's eyes widened. "…"

Feeling awkward, Yuugi coughed into his hand. "Um, yes, I painted this last class. We were supposed to draw something plucked from our childhood memories, and this was what I thought of the moment we were assigned it." He smiled, the innocence and childlike demeanor swamping the teenager in a pool of naivety.

Something glazed over in Yami's entrancing gaze, but it was gone the moment it appeared. "Impressive," he managed to say, and this word appeared to have surprised him as well. He glanced around, his posture slightly tensing.

Yuugi blushed. "Thanks…" He then blinked and pulled out the folded picture of the dog, splaying it out on the table before him. "You drew this, right?"

Yami looked over it for two seconds before turning away with disinterest. "Yes."

Yuugi frowned. "Why do you look so upset? It's a great sketch. The dog is so detailed and the ears and pelt are realistically furred. I like how you just used pencil and didn't color it; it looks more natural."

Yami shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. It is scrapped, so it is trash. Nothing more."

The spite in his words was astounding.

Yuugi nodded in respect and held out his hand, his fears and suspicions forgotten. "I'm Yuugi Mutou, by the way. If you don't remember me, I saw you play the violin in that room just under a week ago. When Miho Nosaka was giving me a tour." A wide, generous and adoring smile graced his lips.

Yami eyed his hand for several seconds, his arms tensing. "I remember you."

Yuugi awkwardly dropped his hand. "A-Ah." Well that was odd. What could he have possibly done to anger this person? _This man _was the one who walked in on him in the quiet room without a word of notice, not him! If anything it was Yami who should have been apologizing for scaring the younger student like that.

The Mutou kept his gaze low. "Well, it was nice to meet you."

"… Yami." The other teen sighed, rubbing his temples. "If you must know." Why was he being such a jackass? The mere thought of it made Yuugi's brow furrow; no one had ever just dismissed him like that. He had to have done something to anger him.

"I don't want to anger you," Yuugi began, sighing as he raised his hands. "Listen, I'm brand new to this academy and it's been my dream to come here for so long. I don't know what I've done to anger you, but please don't be mad at me if there's really no reason."

The room's temperature dropped.

Yuugi felt the hairs along his neck rise as the mysterious boy turned to him with an equally frigid glare. Just gazing into those powerful red depths spoke of a long, unexplainable history. Broken dreams, distorted realities, images that Yuugi could have never concocted in his own imagination before…

Or was he wrong?

"Little one," Yami began, his tone rapidly changed. Who exactly _was _this man? Why did the room change in feel when he spoke? When he moved?

_Little one? _Yuugi's neck heated with silent fury. Was his height really that distracting? He thought he'd escaped pitiful bullying comments like that in Domino. He wanted to be sure that Cambridge would offer him another opportunity to escape the stereotype of being short. He was a talented artist; even he would admit that.

But with a name as odd as _little one_… it rung several bells. Several agonizing, unnecessarily painful bells.

But Yami continued, even when it was clear the he noticed the growing frustrations in the younger boy's eyes. "You may learn to call this place your home. Many have, and those are the foolish ones. If you wish to even survive on this campus, you must make smarter decisions."

Was that a… threat?

Yuugi blinked, the ominous words lingering in the air like frosted breath. "I'm sorry…" He smiled sheepishly and stood up, walking over towards the easels and slipping on his backpack. "I should probably go then, right? I didn't want to upset you, Yami." Even saying his name felt foreign and oddly wrong on his tongue—like he was forbidden to say it. Licking his lips to be rid of the strange thought, he dipped his head. "I'll be going now."

The other made no move to stop him, but there was something else pitted in his appearance now. He was like a walking portrait: a disassembled void of the real world.

There was something significant about him that Yuugi didn't trust. What it was, he wasn't sure. Yet.

Swallowing, the young artist reached for the doorknob—

Just as the floor and walls began to shake.

Panic boomed into Yuugi's senses, his heart suddenly hammering at an amazing increased speed. Was this an earthquake? The portraits strung up along the walls started to sway, threatening to collapse at any moment. Several paintings fell and tore on impact with the floor, the cabinets and closets vibrating within the shaking building's grip.

Yuugi's eyes widened, glancing behind him to see Yami inspecting his old sketches as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

"Yami! We have to get out of here!" He didn't even know why he bothered trying to get the other's attention, to make sure that any other person caught in this mess was safe.

The other in question paid no response, looking positively bored with observing his former projects. Yuugi felt his hands curl into fists at the lack of appreciation or attention from this mysterious stranger, but something else told him that he, _somehow_, had something to do with this earthquake.

But then the walls began to fold. Corners of the room pinched forward and crumpled up, like dog-eared pieces of paper. The tiles peeled off like disintegrating wallpaper, the floor following with the paint peeling from the surface. It all happened so fast, in less than five solid seconds. The room distorted and confused Yuugi's mind and panicked him until all that was left was the black, non-textured room and the two figures trapped within it.

Nothing else was left. The tables, the walls, the floors, the portraits, the windows, the blackboards, the easels… they had vanished. Disappeared without a trace.

_What is… _He could barely finish his thought. Yuugi swallowed the growing lump in his throat; beads of sweat trailing down his neck and his teeth starting to clench from the growing frustrations and confusion in his battering mind. Bewildered, he cast his purple eyes toward the strange student, who was in the exact same position as before, looking as bored as ever with the same pictures still grasped tightly in his nimble hands.

His stomach lurching, Yuugi fought the urge to vomit at the severity of the situation. Everything was just… _gone_! What was going on? Was someone playing mind tricks on him? He was never one to believe in the supernatural, but this occurrence was too much to bear without questioning the possibilities.

All that was left was the aching blackness, the growing cold sensations that sent continuous shivers down the spines of anyone who passed through, and the two lone humans sharing the claustrophobic space together.

"What's happening? What's going on?" Yuugi felt his knees tremble, staring at the other man with narrowed, disbelieving eyes. "Tell me what happened! What happened to the room? Why are you still here?"

Yami's shoulders stiffened, his hands lowering. A flash of red scorched Yuugi once he glanced over his shoulder; the effect blistering the younger's mind and soul with astonishing polish.

_He did this. Somehow, he did this. _There was no doubt in his mind.

The other's sharp crimson orbs began to glow with impressment, as if wondering why the boy hadn't shriveled up and died at this point. "You're stronger than I expected you to be." However, the fascination was tossed away to the darkest corners of the chasm as he spoke again. "You will not survive in the long run, little one. You're weak."

What the hell…?

"What does that have to do with anything? The room—the room is _gone_! I want to know where we are!" Yuugi had never demanded anything from anyone in this manner. The fear was tightly grasping his heart in frigid, icy claws, and refused to let go unless he shed some barriers. He needed to have his answers now, and those were the only thoughts running through his scared mind.

But what happened next caught him completely by surprise.

In a flash, Yuugi found himself pinned against the unseen barriers, the color draining from his face as his body was only inches from that of Yami. The other stared deeply into his eyes, his entire countenance bristling from head to toe and clear frustrations being vented from beneath his leather clothing. From how close they were, Yuugi could observe the intensity of the offender's red gaze, the smoothness of his lips and the pure dangerous essence that gripped the world around them like iron jaws.

"I can tell that you want to know who I am, _little one_," Yami seethed between clenched teeth. His pupils dilated, his hands grasping Yuugi's collar and starting to lift him from the ground. They were closer than before, and the intensity was almost too much for Yuugi to bear without screaming and losing consciousness. "But no one truly does. This place is vile, filled with secrets that you would never understand. This world is too dangerous for the likes of you, and if you want to tamper with that environment… I will stop you." A light, painfully cruel smirk twitched the corner of his mouth, leaning down to allow his hot breath to snake over Yuugi's neck. "Have I made myself clear?"

Yuugi didn't know what to say. His entire body was frozen on the spot, his experience disillusioned by the contact between the two of them. He had barely known this man and yet he felt incredibly fearful around him, and at this point he knew that he was dealing with something far more than just out of the ordinary.

"Speak," the other demanded, seething with bottling rage. "Respond to me and agree, you foolish boy!"

But Yuugi could not, desperation and conflictions lingering in his mind as the encounter settled in. Before he could respond—with any sort of scream, protest, or even agreement—his world dissipated in blackness and his consciousness left him.

* * *

"Yuugi! Wake up, man." That voice…

Jolting up, Yuugi scarcely missed slamming his forehead into the painting that he had worked so diligently on before. The easel was strapped safely in place; the image's swirling towers of smoke and brittle patterns of flames still visible and touched up. But this couldn't be. He remembered finishing this not too long ago, allowing the tip of his brush to stroke the uneasiness, the unsettling energy from his body and soul and cast it onto his project…

His fingers trembling, Yuugi shook his head, a migraine throbbing in his temples. The subtle, lightning-pumping rush of his nightmare still dwelled in the darkest, most unreadable corners of his conscience. It couldn't have all been a dream!

But his sleeves were slathered in different shades of paint, and his hair was drooped over from the lack of movement. He _did _fall asleep… right in the middle of painting his portrait, and dreamed of that strange counter between him and the strange man who played the beautiful music, dubbed only as Yami.

His lips pursing, Yuugi could not deny the overwhelming relief that quelled his heart. Glancing around him—his muscles aching as he did so—he caught the curious and amused gazes of his fellow students who had apparently not bothered to wake him up in the middle of class. His nose scrunching up at the thought, Yuugi felt a rising blush tinge his cheeks as he turned to his painting and tried to ignore the chuckles.

How embarrassing…

Jounouchi snickered as he pat his new friend on the back. "Aw, c'mon Yuug', it happens to everyone. I've been caught sleeping during these classes all da time."

Yuugi groaned, burying his face into his hands. Yes, it was absolutely embarrassing to fall asleep in the middle of class, especially since he had anticipated this session ever since Miho Nosaka led walked him through his schedule. To experiment with the visual ideas and paint them sounded so interesting, and it grabbed his attention immediately upon looking over his classes.

What if Mr. Pegasus found out…?

_Relax, Yuugi. At least you didn't do anything wrong. At least the room's normal, and that Yami person isn't here. _He thanked whatever gods that existed out there that it was only a dream, but at the same time…

Unwillingly ignoring Jounouchi's babbling, Yuugi fixed his attention around his easel and towards the mysterious supply closet. His heart beat slightly faster as he noticed that the doors were sealed shut with a fitting iron lock, impossible to break through without the proper key.

So what exactly_ was_ in there? Would there be the old sketches as he had discovered before? The drawings that the impossibly surreal and gorgeous student Yami created years ago, long forgotten and for some reason closed off to the rest of the world?

He didn't want to think about it.

"Yuug'? You okay, man?" The blonde frowned, waving his hand in front of the Mutou's face to get his attention. "You seem out of it."

Yuugi snapped back into reality and faced Jounouchi with a wide, convincing smile. "Sorry Jou. I'm just really tired, is all. I can't believe I fell asleep like that." He considered telling Jounouchi about his dream. After all, the blonde did know Yami, right? He was the one who confirmed his identity to him.

"Class is ending, Yuug'. Honda already left, skirt-chaser." Jounouchi rolled his eyes, obviously hinting towards Honda's enormous crush on Miho.

Yuugi smiled softly. "Give him a break, Jou. He likes her. Haven't you ever liked someone?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "Eh, not really."

The Mutou grinned. "Whatever you say." He needed to relax and have lunch with his friends, and hopefully just forget about his nightmare. After all, it was just a dream, wasn't it?

Once the clock read _11:45_ the students poured out of the room, quickly intent on getting to the cafeteria or exploring the outside campus as fast as possible. Jounouchi quickly darted after them, a full-blown smile stretched across his face and the goofiness clearly exposing how hungry he was.

Yuugi frowned, remembering that this resembled the first part of his dream. Shaking off the feeling, he ignored glancing in the direction of the supply closet as he slipped on his backpack. He left the painting on the easel to dry, noticing that several of the other students did the same with their own projects. Yuugi grabbed some of the containers and paintbrushes and started walking towards the entrance, trying to focus only on lunchtime and having a good conversation with Honda and Jounouchi.

His arms full of art supplies, he could barely see over the amount and his lack of an attention span did not help.

_Maybe I should tell Jounouchi about the dream? I mean, he did mention Yami to me in the first place. Maybe this hasn't just happened to me. Oh, great… I'm probably thinking too much. I have to stop doing that. It was just a dream, Yuugi; you've had them before—_

He squeaked, his thought process coming to an abrupt stop as he crashed into someone, plastic containers of paint and brushes scattered across the tiled floors. He fell back, his bottom hitting the ground with an unjust amount of force. Groaning, he rubbed his head from the impact and stared at his scattered supplies with paling features.

"Oh no…" He bit his lip, and then blinked, glancing upward from his pitiful state on the ground. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

His eyes widened to the size of dinner saucers, his breath escaping him. Standing before him, tall and lean as he had dreamt, with his leather clothes and startlingly exotic features, was Yami. The man was halfway facing him, unmoved from their sudden impact and carrying one binder under his left arm. His frigid crimson eyes were far more intimidating than the eyes of the Yami in his dream; they seemed almost like two different people, just from glancing over their expressions and comparing them.

And the stranger was glaring at him, just like he had the first day.

Yuugi gulped.

Well, this was awkward.

* * *

**And there you have it! I will work on the next chapter soon, after **_**Celebrity Complex**_** and maybe even starting up the leading story on my profile. Remember to check the poll if you haven't already!**

**You guys are awesome, and I hope you enjoyed. Please review and constructive criticism is more than appreciated. **

**~ Dusk**


	4. IV: P a i n t

**Hey everyone! I know this update's a bit later than normal, but I wanted to make sure that this chapter was more… polished, than the others. The last one was a bit rapidfire because I had to focus on my training for high school tennis. Woot! **

**So I know the reviews were lacking last chapter, but I hope that's not because of how I wrote it. Again, constructive criticism is always welcome and I am extremely grateful for all of the reviews and support thus far. Once again, thank you so much! I will reply to everyone soon! **

**But now I finally have time to write (being sick and all. :P). So, without further adieu, enjoy the next chapter to **_ m_**. **

* * *

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**IV**

_Paint_

* * *

_He squeaked, his thought process coming to an abrupt stop as he crashed into someone, plastic containers of paint and brushes scattered across the tiled floors. He fell back, his bottom hitting the ground with an unjust amount of force. Groaning, he rubbed his head from the impact and stared at his scattered supplies with paling features._

"_Oh no…" He bit his lip, and then blinked, glancing upward from his pitiful state on the ground. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"_

_His eyes widened to the size of dinner saucers, his breath escaping him. Standing before him, tall and lean as he had dreamt, with his leather clothes and startlingly exotic features, was Yami. The man was halfway facing him, unmoved from their sudden impact and carrying one binder under his left arm. His frigid crimson eyes were far more intimidating than the eyes of the Yami in his dream; they seemed almost like two different people, just from glancing over their expressions and comparing them. _

_He was glaring at him, just like he had the first day. _

_Yuugi gulped. _

* * *

"I-I…" Yuugi stuttered, every instinct screaming for him to simply turn and run, to avoid the deadly glare being sent in his direction. He swallowed soundlessly, reaching over to awkwardly gather the supplies that were scattered around him.

His lips pressed firmly together, he refused to turn and admonish the other man's apprehensive, frigid stare, as if his sole purpose in life was to just _observe _everything he did.

Yami's eyes flickered towards the room where Yuugi had exited, a dash of curiosity suddenly taking place in those dark red orbs. "What were you doing in there?"

His voice was so smooth, so constructed, as if it was made entirely of steel.

Yuugi's face flushed but he didn't want Yami to know that. First impressions… he couldn't let this opportunity escape him, either.

"I was…"

Yami's gaze hardened into a glare. "…"

Yuugi shook his head, standing up with his pack slung over his shoulders. He wasn't going to flee like a frightened child anymore. He needed to stand up for himself at this moment, when no one else could.

"I was just in the art room. I fell asleep after class…"

_I don't understand why you would care…_

The words sounded so careless, but he was terrified to say them.

Shock stretched onto Yami's normally unreadable features.

Yuugi blinked, the tension growing considerably between them.

"Hm." Yami paused, dipping his head. His gaze slowly trailed up, absorbing every little detail of Yuugi that was before him, his pupils seeming to dilate with each second that passed. The boy in front of him stiffened at the action, quite surprised and finding that he was unable to move at the licentious gesture.

_What…? _Yuugi's cheeks tinted pink, embarrassment and slight anger delving into the corridors of his mind. His brain summoned so many signals, begging him for him to just leave this crazy bastard and go on his own trail, destined for an entirely different trip through the hallways, just to get away from this lunatic.

There was something about him that he did not want to experience.

And yet, at the same time…

Yami's gaze seemed to sharpen with an intense fire that Yuugi had only seen in his dreams—the mysterious crimson orbs flashed through his mind and, with a jolt, he confirmed that they were, indeed, a perfect match. He _was _dreaming about this student this entire time. Were they meant to meet?

It was a crazy scenario and yet Yuugi could not even move his shoes from the floor. He wanted to remain there.

The other's gaze lingered on several more sensitive places of Yuugi, causing the younger to blush in further nervousness.

"What are you doing?" He felt his brow crease in irritation. "Do you have anything to say? Look, I'm really sorry I bumped into you but I can't stay here. I have to move to the next room—"

"Quiet," the other muttered, still fixated and appearing like a curious feline with how he was observing Yuugi's form.

Yuugi bristled and quickly stomped to the side, hoping to pass him.

Yami did not move, but his teeth clenched. "Where do you think you're going?" It was a poisonous demand, and it warned him. It was _telling _him that what he was doing was a terrible idea.

Fear chilled his veins into ice. "Please…" Yuugi sighed. "I just want to go to class." But he also wanted to stay and learn everything there was to know about this man.

Most of all, he wanted to draw him. The compelling urge to sketch and outline his lean, possibly toned body and paint the most perfect shades of red to form those gorgeous eyes were spreading through his fingertips. He wanted to bring the image of the other to life, to show him just how beautiful he was and how dreadfully unfair it happened to be.

Yami kept his posture straight and his nose held high.

Yuugi sighed. He took his silence as a sign that he lost interest in him. Oh, well.

"Um, so… I'll be going, now." He turned and walked down the halls, his skin still pumping with blood and his senses still clouded just from looking into the stranger's alluring eyes.

Yami's lips pursed.

"Hm."

* * *

"Hey, Yuug', where were you?" Jounouchi demanded through a strangely hushed whisper as Yuugi took a seat beside him.

"I just… got distracted. Wanted to see a different room," the Mutou answered simply. He smiled, and at the sight of this expression Jounouchi smirked and ruffled his new friend's hair. They had learned to trust each other so easily, and just from that thought flickering through his mind Yuugi felt instantly guilty.

He scanned the new environment with piqued interest.

This room—_Artistic Laboratory for Photographical, Digital and Sketch_—was crowded with students, all with their sketchbooks and art utensils splayed out before them on the many rosewood, mahogany and even oaken desks. The floors were neatly polished and refined, as if no one had stepped into the room beforehand. A blackboard was nailed to the opposite wall, where a tall, curvaceous woman with flowing blonde hair and red lips stood. She smiled salaciously at her students, and appeared no older than twenty-four.

She was beautiful, but there was something about her sly smile and the way she carried herself (Yuugi wasn't even going to detail the way she dressed) spoke in a lustful language that the naïve Mutou would be unable to understand. He was perfectly fine with that, as well, but everyone else in the room groaned in either exasperation or longing as she passed through the desks, handing out several manuals for the classroom.

Jounouchi's eyes practically sparkled in her presence.

Yuugi blinked. "Jou," he grinned, "do you like her?"

"She's fine, Yuug'. Ms. Mai Valentine…" Jounouchi sighed in a dreamy manner, similar to how Honda fawned over the beautiful yet mysterious Miho Nosaka. "She's amazing, ain't she? I mean, look at those curves! And she smells so good."

Yuugi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had a feeling that Jounouchi flirted with this teacher all the time, but she didn't seem to mind it.

After all, she seemed apprehensive at the wolf-whistles and catcalls. She was shameless with the way she strut back and forth from desk to desk, even going so far as to wink and make other, smaller flirtatious gestures that would probably get her fired in any other institution. This was supposed to be an extremely classy academy, and yet the first female teacher he had was acting like this.

Yuugi scratched his temple in wonder, but instantly brightened as she walked back to the front of the room, slamming down a pile of plastic portfolios. She withdrew several samples of art from the previous years, and placed their prints over plastic slips. She then slipped the flimsy slides into a projector on her desk.

"You don't need an introduction from me. Just look at the projection and sketch your own interpretation. No instructions. No grades… for now. I'll just see them after you're done." This woman, this _Mai Valentine_, winked and was about to walk to the door to leave the room with her nose pointed towards the ceiling.

But her tracks were interrupted by the presence of the last person Yuugi expected to show up.

Yami gave the teacher an indifferent look, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Mr. Sennen…" She shook her head, folding her arms under her heavy bosom and giving him a glare of suspicion. She was the only person in this entire academy that did _not _flinch at his appearance or even the mentioning of his name. "You're… late." She looked surprised that she was even saying these words.

Yami dipped his head, his hands lazily shoved into his pockets. His gaze wandered the rows and rows of desks and confused, horrified stares cast in his direction.

And then his beaming red eyes settled on Yuugi, and he felt the back of his neck burn. The other students followed the mysterious individual's stare, and he subconsciously slid down his chair, allowing his jacket to ride up in friction. His cheeks felt warm and he noticed Jounouchi's confused expression and suspiciously risen eyebrow.

_Great, now I have to explain this to Jou… but, what is there to explain? Do I even know?_

"Hm, well," Mai murmured, clapping her hands together. "This is a surprise. While I really don't care what you do, Mr. Sennen, you can go sit down wherever you'd like."

Her nose slightly twitched, and for a moment she reminded Yuugi of a rabbit.

The look she gave Yami simply said: _Why the hell are you here?_

Yami turned away from her, clearly uninterested. She shrugged and resumed her pace in walking nonchalantly out the door.

"Yuug', why is he starin' at ya?" Jounouchi growled, feeling a protective instinct rising in his blood. If this bastard went anywhere near his friend, he was going to flex his knuckles and show the idiot just who he was messing with…

Yuugi swallowed. "I don't know, Jou! Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal—"

"Quiet! We're trying to sketch, losers!" The spiteful hiss came from a girl with short-cropped blonde hair in the row in front of them. She pushed up her glasses and snorted, resuming her work with diligence in her pencil movement and a keen eye for detail. Yuugi could tell that she was a distinctively hard worker just from glancing at her.

Embarrassment snaked up his spine, and tension built in his shoulders as Yami passed his desk. The aura that radiated from him… it made his skin shiver unpleasantly.

Jounouchi glared over his shoulder towards the silent student, yet Yami paid him no mind. He simply sat down at the desk behind him, kicking his heels up onto his desk and folding his arms behind his head. He looked more like he was lounging on a couch in a living room than sitting in the middle of class.

Yuugi swallowed and glanced down at the projection. It was a contorted image of what appeared to be a building, its pieces scattered across the screen like shards of glass. He tapped his chin with the tip of his pencil.

His eyes brightened and he started scribbling an outline of his image. Maybe the Roman Colosseum… the pillars were unmistakable.

At first, sketching was as easy as it had ever been. The shapes and motions connected between paper and pencil were always so manipulative and easy to use to Yuugi. He never had trouble drawing anything, even when it was his first time attempting the topic.

His finger flexed and a line jolted out of proportion. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Yuugi glanced over his shoulder once more, and noticed that Yami was staring directly at him.

Unblinking. Unmoving. Just, staring.

_Yikes! _

Yuugi felt his face flush, desperately turning and pretending to continue his sketch. Jounouchi gave him a suspicious look but the younger man ignored it. He couldn't deal with an overprotective friend at the moment, and already his focus was jarred and geared towards so many different subjects, like his dream in the art room and his first real encounter with this _Yami _character. Who, for some reason, Yuugi noted, was promptly feared by a vast majority of the student body.

_Why is he staring at me? _But, more importantly, why was he so concerned about it? It wasn't like Yami was going to stalk him from now on. He was probably still irritated with him about their encounter in the hallways…

Yuugi's nose wrinkled at the thought.

He felt naked under the other's penetrating stare. He could practically _feel _those broiling pools of crimson seeping into his skin, burning a hole into his back and scoping whatever secrets he tried to keep.

Jounouchi bristled and stared back, leaning against the chair. "Hey, Yami!"

Yuugi's eyes bulged. He turned to the blonde desperately. "No, Jou—don't!"

But he wasn't going to listen. "Listen, you weird pervert! Keep your eyes to yourself!"

Yami noticeably twitched at this, but not from fear or anger. It was more of…

What was that look?

Amusement?

Yuugi blinked and shrunk into his seat. Several students started whispering to each other, words passing by that linked and fledged into new rumors in a matter of minutes. His name would be splashed across the gossip board just because of Jounouchi's outburst, drawing all of the attention to the poor, unfortunate student who was starting to lose his excitement for attending this amazing school because of this.

Jounouchi scowled once Yuugi glared at him. "What? You can't let anyone push you 'round like that, Yuug'. Weren't you bullied in high school? Didn't you learn anythin'?"

Yuugi frowned at that. He was bullied multiple times throughout his high school experience, but never actually stood up for himself when the time was right. He was too small, too much of a prime target with his odd looks and extravagant hair, and he would often hide his artwork from other students in order to refrain from finding them crumpled into balls and tossed into the trash bins around school grounds.

It was an embarrassing, humiliating, agonizingly _atrocious _experience.

Mai Valentine strode back into the room with a mug of fresh coffee and a new air of attitude.

Yuugi knew he wasn't going to like the last few minutes of class.

"Alright, everyone, hand in your sketches. Let's see what you incoming _new guys _have that the rest of us don't." She winked and smiled in a gentle, flirtatious manner, though Yuugi could see through her current glassy features. She was hiding something, and that was all he could tell. "Well, Mr. Sennen, you can just leave since we all know that you didn't draw anything."

"I would like to prove you wrong, Ms. Valentine."

The blonde woman blinked. Slowly.

She stared up towards him with narrowed eyebrows, her entire posture stiffening and her beautiful face darkening. She looked like a different person. "Show me."

Yuugi winced at the coldness in her voice. Chills ran down his arms as Yami stood up from his desk and strolled past him, hands in his pockets.

"Is that Yami Sennen?"

"Yeah, the weird guy that never shows up to class…"

"I think he plays music. I thought he was kicked out!"

"Those are just rumors! Can he even draw?"

"Why is he even here?"

The buzzing questions and rumors circulated through Yuugi's brain like tidal waves. He pressed his fingers to his temples and rubbed them with impatience, tempted to just scream that he was tired of being in this room, crowded and unsure of his own environment.

And Jounouchi being in his overprotective-big-brother-best-friend mode didn't help at all.

Yami's boots clicked against the tiled floors as he stood before Mai Valentine, his fingers neatly grasping the clean-cut edges of a sketch that none of the other students had seen.

But how could he have been drawing anything? He was staring at Yuugi the entire time—

Realization slammed into him like a pile of bricks.

_But why would he…? _Shaking his head, Yuugi's neck and ears turned a fierce shade of pink as Mai turned to stare him with a suspicious, eyebrow-risen stare. She looked unconvinced and slightly puzzled, but other than that was indifferent to the situation. Whatever she saw in the sketch Yami created, it was related to Yuugi in some way, shape or form.

"Hm." Mai pursed her lips. "Well, I can't reject this. I forgot how talented you actually are with your fingers." She winked and laughed. "As perverted that may sound. But really, I've lost my patience with just about everyone here, so… students, hand in your sketches to me and get out of here as fast as your legs can carry you. Or else."

Her eyes sharpened and in short time span of one minute, dozens of sketches were slapped into the plastic tray sitting at the corner of her desk. She circled the desk and set her mug on top of it, pinching the bridge of her nose and glaring at the door.

"Mr. Sennen and Mr. Mutou, please stay here. I need to talk with the both of you."

Yuugi inwardly cursed and felt himself numb, acknowledging the twitching, infuriatingly sensual yet _amused _smirk that overtook Yami's features. He looked like a painting with the way he stood in front of the wall with his hands in his pockets and his leather clothes hugging every proportion of his noticeably lean and toned physique.

Yuugi blushed, having to drag his feet over to the chairs pulled in front of Mai's desk.

"You too, Mr. Sennen." Mai glared.

Yuugi frowned. "Um…"

"Quiet, I'm waiting for him."

Yami took his sweet, _sweet _time walking over to the desk. Yuugi's fists clenched and unclenched with each minute that passed, but he wasn't going to raise his voice or burst out in a verbal rampage against a man that happened to scare him quite a lot. He was mysterious and yet, so alluring, and that was the most dangerous combination of all.

"Now…" Mai sighed. "This is an… interesting, topic I'm about to discuss with you. And really, Mr. Mutou, considering your history I didn't expect this at all from you."

Yuugi frowned in confusion. "Ms. Vale—"

She waved her finger in front of him. "No, no, let me talk." She turned to Yami with a harsher stare. It was clear that she didn't like him, but whatever history they had was shoved into the dark and, apparently, neither side wanted to bring the past into question. "Mr. Sennen, you actually showed up to class for once. However…" She tilted her head to the side in bewilderment. "You're not signed up for any of my classes."

Yuugi scratched his neck.

"So, I was going to ask you why you were even in my classroom to begin with. However, I realized that this was into the issue I needed to address."

Yami folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. "Go on."

He was challenging her. The goading in his tone was so obvious.

Mai then angrily slammed a stretch of sketch paper onto the table, now slightly crinkled in the edges from where the woman grasped them with her fingers. She pointed towards the image, and immediately Yuugi's eyes bulged.

It was _him_. More specifically, it was him sleeping, wrapped peacefully in a star-printed blue blanket and holding a stuffed animal tightly under his arm. He looked slightly younger, but it was clear that, just from observing the precision of the strokes and the casual touch of the ink and colored pencils, that the artist was a natural.

Too natural.

"Explain this. Both of you. Before I need to report to Mr. Pegasus." Mai shook her head. "Relationships are not tolerated on campus grounds. And you are not allowed in each other's dorms. So, if you come clean, we can pretend this never happened."

Yuugi's jaw slacked. There was no way that Yami snuck into his dorm!

"I… I don't—"

"He has no explanation. It was all my idea," Yami stated simply, observing the tips of his fingernails with little interest in the current conversation. He looked completely careless.

Mai blinked. "Oh, well is that so. Care to explain?" She wanted to spit out the words, but it was clear that threats of a report to Mr. Pegasus could be made against her if she raised her voice at them.

Yami fixed her with a strangely tranquil stare. "Why… he's mine, of course."


	5. V: Frustrations

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**V**

_Frustrations _

* * *

Yuugi blinked. Slowly. And turned to the tall, deceivingly handsome man beside him with heavily risen eyebrows.

What… did he just say?

Mai Valentine blinked and smiled coyly at this statement, folding her arms under her chest and admonishing the picture with a curious glimmer in her eyes. "Interesting. Well, I'm afraid that this… confession, if you want to call it that, will not go unwarranted. This picture is not acceptable, and I think you know that anyway."

Yami was unfazed. A ghost of a sensual smile passed over his lips, and Yuugi's heart hammered in desperate confusion. His mind swam with so many questions, his palms drenched in nervous sweat. What was he supposed to say?

_He didn't belong to _anyone.

That was one of the sentences that blared through his troubled mind, though another part of him strangely leaned towards the ominous proclamation from the near stranger, as if _enjoying _the possibilities. He wouldn't lie if he found his hormones raging just by standing next to someone so… inhumanly sculpted, as if he stepped out of a nearby painting and flaunted his penciled perfections.

"You're dismissed," Ms. Valentine murmured, shuffling through numerous other papers stacked on her desk. Blinking once more in surprise and shock, Yuugi shook his head rapidly and stared at the curvaceous woman as if she just hatched out of an egg.

"That's… that's all?"

"Of course," she whispered, but the look on her face made Yuugi realize that she really was a mischievous person. He recognized that aura as soon as she walked into the classroom to teach this particular session, with her gorgeous appearance and dramatic hair-flips. But why was it necessary to call both of the students forward afterwards? Nothing had been… well, wrong about what Yami did. If he was telling the truth, it was certainly creepy but not against any rules or obligations.

But the Mutou knew that he wasn't going to sap any more information out of the woman, and he turned to the door with his shoulders slumped. He gathered his art supplies and tried to focus his fuzzy, jumbled mind as he headed off through the hallway. The once-polished walls and tiled floors would have distracted him before, but now he was too focused on the mysterious, yet simultaneously frightening man that just… what did he just do? Proclaim a random secret out of thin air?

And if he actually drew a portrait of him sleeping… what was he supposed to think of that?

His fingers curling into his palms, Yuugi replayed the event from five minutes ago slowly over in his mind. There was nothing out of the ordinary until the strange response left the pursed lips of the man that resembled a walking statue. His appearance alone intimidated and jostled his heart and stomach, confusing his nerves.

Normally he would have a good judgment of character, but this person was shrouded in mystery, and even with a huge declaration like that, _claiming that Yuugi somehow belonged to him_; he remained like a figure slinking in the shadows. He was toying with him, and he met him only an hour or so before.

Yuugi lifted his head up, expecting to see an onslaught of students departing from heavily stylized classrooms. Instead, he was greeted with an echoless, completely _noiseless _chasm of the building, absent of a single footstep. At the very end of the hall, however, standing tall with his hands smothered in his pockets, was Yami.

And he was wearing an entirely different expression than before. From the expression that held so much charisma, so much passive air to his eyes, sensual lips and posture, he was now cold. Frigid, almost, standing as still as a block of ice.

Yuugi swallowed, but he felt his brow furrow and his courage grow. His stomach twisted and warned him greatly on the possibilities of what he was going to do would land him. However, another piece of him, bearing the voice of his grandfather, whispered that he would be foolish if he dared to confront this dangerous man. The aura radiating from Yami was shrouded in darkness, and his presence alone was powerful enough to freeze anyone on the spot.

But, Yuugi needed answers. And he was going to get them, as long his mind and heart allowed him to do so.

"Careful with the words you choose to say," Yami growled out, his eyes narrowing viciously. "You should know that whatever I mention in front of those foolish professors and teachers… is truly my business and mine alone."

What the—?

"What?" Yuugi shook his head and, despite being very intimidated by this man, found the anger fueling his inner fire a great enough source of motivation. "Now, wait! What sense does that make?"

Yami had already turned on his heel, but this sudden declaration stopped him. Tilting his head, he glanced at Yuugi with a risen eyebrow. Surprise was evident in his normally unreadable eyes.

"She… no, _you _drew that picture! You even admitted it! You claimed that I was somehow _yours_, like I was your property or something! When did that ever happen? I have everything to do with that situation and you know it. So stop pretending… I know that we've just met and I can tell that, for some weird reason, you hate me, but at this point I really don't give two shits."

By this point a vein was popping in his forehead, and he felt his fists clench in immediate distaste. Yami remained expressionless, though Yuugi could tell (_somehow_) that this man was listening to every word, and taking them in one by one.

"You can't just claim something like that and then pretend that it didn't happen. How did you even…? I mean, that picture…" Yuugi's face flushed. Suddenly, his confidence vanished and he recalled the events very clearly. Exactly how did Yami get such an intimate picture drawn onto a piece of paper, when he had only met Yuugi today? He was never that close in proximity to him… so how would he know how he slept? How he looked while doing so?

"Hmph." Yami's gaze hardened. "Your sharp tongue will only get you so far."

Yuugi bristled and defiance hardened his shoulders. "Listen to yourself! I barely know you and it seems like you're out just to get me! What do you want from me? Have I somehow upset you within the last several hours?" Yuugi stepped back as he realized he was going much too far. This man could be dangerous… and having that strange dream in the previous classroom was enough to remind him that his psyche was trying to tell him something.

Yami's hands were now folded across his chest, and he didn't appear bored anymore. However, the glimmer lighting up his features reminded Yuugi of a curious animal—a predator, challenged by its prey on when and where to strike.

Even now, this man terrified him. He was both alluring and mysterious, and somehow carried a significantly savage edge to him that made others cringe and whisper rumors about his existence. How did Headmaster Pegasus let someone like him into the Light & Shadow Academy in the first place? He seemed impeccably talented at whatever he did… all that Yuugi could recall was the melodious violin playing, and that was when Miho Nosaka was giving him a tour.

He wished he never crossed paths with this man. And now, he felt more cornered than ever before, all within the first _week _of attending his dream school.

"You're very dramatic," Yami muttered coldly. "If you're trying to impress anyone by that ridiculous speech, then you must try harder. You're not going to be noticed by such pitiful words and statements that have nothing to do with the rest of the student body. All that radiates through these halls are gossip and botched tales. Including the ones that involve…" A ghost of a smirk passed over his lips, sending a chill down Yuugi's spine. "Well, the ones that involve _me_."

When hearing those words, Yuugi was suddenly reminded of the many stories his grandfather told him when he was younger, snuggling into his warm cotton sheets on a rainy night. Kame Game Shop was never crowded on Fridays and Thursdays, and on those specific nights his grandfather paid much more attention to him, and was not afraid to let him know of the dark stories in literature, some involving tales of wizards consuming the hearts of their brides, or dragons devouring each other to reach the largest treasure horde, and so forth. Yuugi was hardened when referring to those tales, and he was used to the gruesome, gory details that followed each one.

But facing stories like those in real life was more than he could have ever asked for. And this man, this _Yami_, was the epitome of fear and nightmares.

But he was not repulsive by any means. The way he spoke, the way he moved, the way he stared others down as if they were much lower than him… it infuriated and charged Yuugi with positive and negative energy, and it flip-flopped from time to time. Minutes before he was just so _ready _to confront this arrogant bastard and tell him that he needed to learn his place, and now his tongue was tied in knots.

He squeaked and nearly tripped over his own feet as Yami stepped forward, dangerously close to him. His breath snaked hotly over the much smaller student's neck, and Yuugi felt his skin ripple in goose bumps.

Yami let his stony mask slightly fade in the other's presence, revealing a line of perfect white teeth, clenched and straight. "Let me tell you something," he muttered. "Stay on the right side of the halls, and you will remain out of danger. If you get involved with these dark rumors, these tales that only children would be foolish enough to journey into… then you should have never come here." His words were chilling, though strangely Yuugi found his stamina boost with determination. "And if you have one _ounce _of intelligence, you will stay away from me."

Was that… a threat?

Yuugi's blood boiled. No… no, he was not going to be _bullied_. He was still very afraid of this Yami Sennen character, but those words were the last straw! He was just another student… why should he have to deal with his bullshit? To hear those overconfident, vile words slip from this strange man's mouth was enough to make Yuugi's head explode in frustration. He didn't expect this rise of confidence to come back (and he hoped that he wasn't turning bipolar) but he was going to use it to his advantage at this point if he could.

Puffing up his chest (and knowing that he was risking far too much in his first week of the academy) he stood up against the other man and watched in satisfaction as his eyes widened in surprise. However, he failed to notice the tiniest of smirks gracing Yami's seductive lips, as if he was expecting this reaction.

"I'm not a kid," Yuugi said hotly, staring up at the other with hidden fear and a mask of arrogance. "And you can't order me around. I qualified out of hundreds of thousands of students to be here, and you know that. I don't know how you even got here since you seem to slack off. But I made it here through dedication and hard work, so, _Yami_, I _definitely _belong here, whether you think so or not—"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence.

In lightning-fast movement, Yami brutally grabbed Yuugi's shoulders, shoving him against the freezing plastered wall. The painful impact instantly bruised the tender flesh beneath his clothes, and Yuugi's face flushed in embarrassment and surprise as the opposing figure drew closer, completely ridding him of any movement. The art supplies he was carrying was scattered all across the floors, rattling in slow-motion in Yuugi's disrupted mind.

What the hell happened? And how could a human being move so incredibly fast? Yuugi hadn't even blinked when it all happened. In five seconds, he was interrupted, constrained, and shoved against the wall with enough force to bruise him but not enough strength to break his shoulder blades.

Yami's glare was frigid and calculating, reading and absorbing every motion that Yuugi made while remaining stiff in his grasp. He was waiting for this moment, and Yuugi could tell. With how close they were, if anyone had walked in on the admittedly violent scenario, they would have drawn a different conclusion.

It wasn't until Yuugi's mind began to adjust that Yami slammed his aggressive lips onto his own.

Dumbfounded, the other boy was so confused and surprised that he wondered if he was supposed to remain struggling, or stiff in the other's painfully tight grasp. It was oddly territorial, but in a way that wasn't comforting. Yuugi hadn't wanted to be shoved against the wall like this, and _attacked _by another student that he barely knew out of nowhere. He expected Yami to punch him, or kick him, or even humiliate him in front of the other students if he had the opportunity, just like the bullies in high school had done to him.

But this… this was definitely not what he expected.

The kiss was more of a ravaged mouth-on-mouth experiment, and Yuugi flinched at the pain dwelling on his mouth as the other retreated. The look on Yami's face was entirely different from before. He remained cold and frigid, but his mouth was open from the intensity of the moment, his eyes savage and hungry and _thirsty_, and his shoulders rigid with controlled urges.

Yuugi didn't have time to think. There were so many questions drifting through the empty hall, and it was then that Yuugi noticed something particularly strange. No one was walking through this part of the school. The professors were absent, not a single student was here… not even Miho Nosaka, who he had seen patrolling the hallways on her spare time if she was required to do so.

"I…" Yuugi's face was undeniably redder than a freshly plucked pepper, though when he tried to shift from his position, Yami's hands only tightened more around Yuugi's shoulders. He was not going to let him go anytime soon. "Why… why did you kiss me?" He barely registered the question himself. Having never been kissed in his entire life, this was an outrageous experience, in both the fantastic and the terrible.

Yami released him, backing up several steps, his pupils having dilated several centimeters. "That is not for you to know." He sounded perplexed; his brow was furrowed and his mouth was taught, as if he was confused. Frankly, it was the most emotion Yuugi had ever seen off of this man.

"You just kissed me!" Yuugi exclaimed, blinking in embarrassment as the reality of the situation sunk in. "I deserve an answer—"

"_QUIET_!" Yami bellowed, and the full force of such a demand shook the entire building. Yuugi could have sworn that he saw the doorframes shake from the different classrooms. If anyone else were present, he was sure he would have witnessed dozens of them collapse from the brunt strength of such an echo. This man… there was something very, very strange about him, more than the young artist had ever thought possible.

There _was _a reason he kissed him. There was nothing carnal about it.

Yuugi touched his lips, wincing as a burning sensation singed his fingertips. He withdrew them, glancing over the subtle charring wounds. What the hell?

When the boy looked up, he saw that Yami appeared slightly calmer, but still distressed.

And then, like it had in his dream before, the entire area began to shift and turn to whatever will was needed. The ceiling began to droop and sway, and a hole burst through the ceiling to allow a waterfall to cave through, splashing and flooding across the tiled floors like a visionary trip into the ocean. The walls vanished, replaced by overlying blankets of navy-blue and stars, twinkling from an unreachable distance.

The floor caved in as well, the tiles melting underneath Yuugi's feet. Instinctively, he reached around him and grabbed a stray—_vine_? Startled, the Mutou witnessed the building disappear altogether, replaced by contorted images and forest life that only dwelled in fantastical stories like those of Lewis Carroll. Massive tree trunks sprung up into reality, branches made of flames and stone pillars spreading across a sickly orange sky. This sky, this vision of an alternative day cycle, intermingled with the stripes of night; it was a blurred vision, and it did not belong here.

Something was very, very wrong. Yuugi's heart raced. In less than a minute, the building had transformed into a realm that he was not at all familiar with. The pale, distinguished colors, trees made of fire and stone, a waterfall constructed of crystal and pouring fresh streams… it was psychedelically beautiful and twisted in so many levels. Even at a time like this, Yuugi longed to draw the spiraled vision if he was ever going to see a sketchbook again.

The boy looked forward, his attention straying from the scenery to the man that supposedly caused it. Yami stood there with his back to him, his fists clenched and his posture rigid. He was _not happy_; Yuugi could tell that he somehow angered this man enough to let loose something so powerful and tangible that it affected his own conscience. The taller, slender individual stood atop a growing pile of stones, each one covered in either reptilian scales, patches of moss or petals. His spiked hair billowed in a growing current of wind.

Yuugi had no doubt in his mind—he was not dreaming this time, and he needed answers.

"Where… where did you take us?" Yuugi whispered, his emotions tangled up between fear and awe at such a sight.

As soon as he said this, one of the trees made of wood, fire and stone collapsed into the river. It was connected to the massive waterfall that only continued to grow with each passing second. Whatever Yami was doing, he was apparently quite adept, and Yuugi wondered if there really was something deeper to this. He didn't want to believe this, not at all. It would have been a lot more realistic if the savage kiss they shared made him fall unconscious and dream all of this up, but…

It just wasn't possible. He was awake, and he knew it.

"You can see this?" The disbelief lacing his words caused Yuugi to break his attention from the trees and stare towards the beautiful man that somehow fit in with the rest of his world quite well. Strangely enough, his clothes hadn't changed, though there was something… different, about his morbid crimson eyes. They still glistened with incredible beauty and ferocity, and right now they were more confused than ever before. "Answer me!" he called again, and he leaped from on top of the stones and rushed towards Yuugi.

He grasped the Mutou's collar and stared him straight in the eye. Yuugi gulped.

"I, wait—"

"Don't lie to me," Yami whispered coldly. "Can. You. See. This?"

The boy struggled in the other's alarmingly powerful grip, but he nodded. He could breathe the strange, yet soft air, and he could feel the growing layers and layers of titanium grass around his ankles. He could not deny what he saw, heard, touched and felt.

"I… I can. I can see everything. I saw the whole thing happen, too." He was surprised at how calm he sounded, because his heart was racing at a mile a minute.

Yami looked more surprised than ever. He released him, narrowing his eyes in challenge. "Prove it to me."

Yuugi blinked and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "The trees are made of wood and the branches stick out as stones and fire. There's a waterfall and a river leading from it, and right about now there's a garden of grass made entirely of metal sticking up around us. Some of the rocks are covered in scales, and the sky is a mixture between day and night."

Yami searched him again through his eyes. They held so much intelligence and wariness, as if he didn't _want _to believe those words, but there was a hidden emotion in there that Yuugi could not decipher, but he knew it was there.

"… You're telling the truth," he muttered. He folded his arms across his chest. "Interesting."

Yuugi sighed. Suddenly, the intimidating image of this man was starting to dissipate. "Do you know how to reverse it?"

"Of course I do," Yami snarled. He blinked at his own words and he glanced away, staring towards the metallic grass.

Yuugi tilted his head to the side. "I have a question for you, and I deserve an answer this time. Don't cut me off anymore." Yami did not acknowledge his words at all, though his lips seemed to purse in disinterest. The Mutou rolled his eyes, but he was not going to fight his own curiosity anymore. "Why did you kiss me?"

Yami lifted his head up, and a small chuckle reverberated through his throat. "Ah." He stared towards the boy. "That… that, you will never know."

Yuugi blinked and frowned. "Why not?"

"I had a reason." His gaze narrowed, and in a matter of seconds he was just like he was before: cloaked in mystery, guarded by a shadowed disposition. "But, a newcomer like you would not understand it."

"I deserve to know," Yuugi retorted, his hands curling into fists.

The skies crisscrossed once more, and the stars began to spread into the orange region.

"You do not, for, you see, foolish boy," Yami muttered as he bent to pick up a flower. As he did so, the petals immediately fell, and the stem disintegrated into dust in his very hands. He seemed bemused by it, crushing the substance in his slender palm and watching the fragments slip between his fingers. "Whatever I say in this realm, and in the other… goes. No one challenges me. No one counters me, and I they try, they always lose." He turned to Yuugi, folding his hands behind his back. "And you are no different."

The young artist fought the overbearing urge to scream and tear his own hair out in frustration. This man was annoying, pompous, arrogant and… not from this world. He figured that part out earlier than he thought he would, but this was unbelievable.

But if he was going to get back into the normal world, he needed to play along; distract the lion while it lay comfortable in its territory.

"I bet I can beat you," Yuugi murmured, each word the most impactful he had ever muttered since he had met this outrageous person. For a solid few seconds, Yami had stiffened. Yuugi wondered, for a moment, if he was going to turn around and laugh at his feeble words.

He did not. He turned to face him, though his eyes had glossed over and his pupils were dilated once more. His stance bore another plethora of emotions that Yuugi longed to explore and document in his own curious mind, but he knew that he probably needed to fear for his own life at this point. Without warning, Yami slowly stepped forward, and Yuugi backed away as quickly as he could.

What was the lunatic doing _now_? Before the younger man could try to sprint in another direction, Yami seized his wrist; his vice grip crushing in strength and applying an unexpected amount of power. Yami was unfazed, but looked clearly amused at this point. His current mask was a rather predatory one, and Yuugi struggled not to squirm.

"In a world of art, _foolish boy_," he whispered as he pressed Yuugi against the trunk of a stone-and-fire tree. He seized Yuugi's other wrist and pinned them above his head, using his free one to grip the younger's chin and forced him to look him in the eye. His luminous crimson eyes were swallowed in malice, carnal desire and a strange lust that Yuugi was somehow entranced and disturbed by. "I _always win_."

And his lips, for the second time that day, crashed onto Yuugi's own, though he tried to fight back this time. The pressure was astounding, the raw, aggressive motions from the other's tongue forced Yuugi into an undying submission.

The only way he was going to bypass this man was to play his game.

And he needed to learn how as soon as possible.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I am so sorry that this took forever to update, but I assure you that updates will be much more frequent this summer. I'm attending college as a freshman in the fall so I don't know how it will operate then, but I won't lose hope in this. I will continue no matter the circumstances, but starting in September I will be very busy. I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review!**

**ALSO, IMPORTANT!**

**After I finish this story, I am working on a plot bunny that revolves around Puzzleshipping (or possible Mobiumshipping) set in an alternate universe. Basically, the gist is that Yuugi, a resident of a local german city, is murdered, and in order to stay alive, uncover secrets of his death and the murderer, he must sell his soul to the _Godbreaker_, Atem: a spirit of Limbo that allows lost souls to cheat death for a price.**

**Sound interesting? Yay? Nay? Please let me know!**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND DEDICATION! I WILL BE BACK SOON WITH MORE UPDATES!**

**- Sulfur Dusk**


	6. VI: S h a d e s

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**VI**

_Shades_

* * *

The boy carried himself with interest, knowledge, and overall foolishness. When he first encountered the clumsy individual, he thought that he was crossing the paths of a child; cherubic features, with the softest amethyst eyes he had ever laid eyes upon. He had never known anyone with such a color, and now this former stranger was willing to traipse about his realms with little to no hesitation. He practically threw out questions like he was on the football field, always admiring the works of art he created, and always pestering him with needless details that he would normally refuse to anyone else.

Yami considered that, while the boy was indeed unusual and, arguably, quite naïve, he believed that there were little sources of entertainment within the academy walls. Stumbling upon this once-shy creature was an introductory treat, one that coaxed him further into territory that he was not familiar with.

"Are you going to transport us back anytime soon?" the boy asked, his lips pressed into a thin line. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Yami summoned a tree made of crystallized stone and sand to levitate by the boy's head, startling him and causing him to swat the new creation. Suppressing a smirk of pleasure, Yami simply walked beside him and refused to look him directly in the eye.

"When I feel like it," he replied.

"Are you ever going to tell me where you came from? How you are like this?" Ah, again, with all of those thoughtless, pointless questions. He had to hand it to the newcomer, though; he had a talent for grabbing his attention. He knew how to walk around him at this point, instead of stepping on eggshells. "Well?"

Yami shrugged, and looked forward. He envisioned a massive staircase made of stones and gnarled branches, and in a few seconds, it appeared before him, awaiting his lingering steps. He started walking up the newly manufactured stairs, and glanced back every now and then to see if the boy was following.

He was, but the confusion was still evident in those admittedly entrancing purple eyes.

"I already explained that I cannot tell you anything." His brow furrowed, and he glanced up towards the skies. He was starting to get rather bored of this scenery. He was going to change it up a bit. "Give me an idea, Mutou, of what I should change this realm into."

The boy—Yami remembered his name to be _Yuugi_—stared at him, looking shocked. "You actually want my input?" He could have said it rudely, but he seemed too surprised to actually stoop to such a level.

Yami dipped his head, considering. "Yes. I'm bored."

Yuugi's cheeks colored, but he nodded. He glanced around him, examining Yami's creations with a furrowed brow. The man slightly chuckled at the display—he found the boy quite a delight to look at, whether it was to marvel at the awkward perfection of his beauty, or to observe his quirky mannerisms. He knew that many others without his astute eye would be able to see the immense appeal in a younger man like this, but there was no denying for Yami that this creature that he had lulled into his realm was starting to gravitate towards him. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he started questioning some of the more… _interesting _rumors regarding him.

That one wench, Miho Nosaka, was infamous for conjuring them up out of nowhere. However, he never targeted her to mess with, only because she never bothered him directly in return. She was frightened of him, like everyone else.

"Have you thought of an image yet?"

"Maybe… something like the Arctic? The North Pole?"

Yami's brow furrowed. "That's a bit bland. You want snow? And igloos?" He cast Yuugi a surprised, and slightly disappointed, expression. "And penguins?"

Yuugi smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Um, no, not exactly. I was just wondering if you could make snow. And… throw your own ideas into it? Maybe a…" He paused, blinking. "A disco Arctic?"

Yami, against his better judgment, chuckled. "Ah, well, that is a rather childish imagination you have. From an artist that I suspected was quite talented, I am very surprised."

"A lot of things can surprise you." Yuugi glanced up, observing the intertwining snakes of dawn and dusk and the swathing blanket of stars. "Maybe you can conjure up small planets? Can you make Mars appear in my hand?"

Yami glanced ahead of him, where massive green vines sprung up from the earth and twined around the staircase. Multicolored fruits sprouted from the plant, and he took one of them. Yuugi's eyes brightened when he recognized them to be shaped like small planets—like a cluster of Mars fruits.

"Wow." He smiled and plucked a fruit, biting into it. The juice exploded into his mouth, but he frowned. "There's no flavor."

"You have to think of the flavor yourself," Yami responded, biting into his own. "It's part of the process. My imagination is very powerful; I, in both my subconscious and conscious realities, can create many things."

"Are we still in the academy, then?" Yuugi asked.

"… No."

They walked in silence for the next half an hour. Yami enjoyed the silence, and every now and then glanced over to be sure that the boy still followed him, and he always did. He was never disappointed; the newcomer, foolish enough to actually take Headmaster Pegasus's offer to join this sacred place, always lingered behind him, asking more and more questions. And, like before, he could never answer.

There was still no purpose to it.

"Are you supernatural?"

Yami stared at him as if he had grown antlers. "…"

"Oh, sorry, I should've been more _specific_." Yuugi sighed, but did not spare Yami an eye-roll. "Where do you come from? Are you some sort of… well, you're clearly not human. No human can create _this_," he said as he gestured with his arms out wide to the scenery around them. "I would like to believe that I'm asleep and this is all a dream, but I've already pinched myself enough times to believe that that isn't true."

"Of course you are not _dreaming_," Yami snarled. "This is my vision."

"Well, then where are you from?" Yuugi frowned. "You're avoiding the question."

"You really think I'm going to answer your questions? I've already told you that I can't answer any of them—"

"By whose authority?" Yuugi challenged, and Yami's mouth snapped shut. He had a good point—a terribly truthful point—and Yami's fists clenched and he suddenly fought the urge to transport them somewhere torturous for the boy. But something held him back, and he controlled his will enough to not let his temper get the best of him.

"None of your business, _newcomer_."

Yuugi sighed. "What if I want to help you?"

"With _what_?" He planted his heels into the ground, and a wide meadow of crisp sunburst blossoms popped up. The skies suddenly turned dark purple, and raindrops colored pink and violet fell, coating the newly conjured flowers in a gentle sheen. Yami needed something to keep him focused and away from this boy. _It was your decision to keep him beside you_, he reminded himself. _And you do not want to let him go._

That part made him angry. He snapped at his subconscious and cursed mentally, but he whipped around to face Yuugi as the boy was going to answer. "There is nothing for you to help. As you can see, I am powerful enough to control myself."

"But there has to be a reason you stayed at the academy! You hate it there, don't you? You seem to, anyway, and everyone there is afraid of you." Yuugi crossed his arms and planted his feet firmly into the ground, trying not to get distracted by the pretty flowers swishing by his covered ankles. "But I'm not."

Yami stopped. He bristled head to toe, and turned around. Oh, this boy was starting to challenge him… he already felt his tongue tie in anguish from sending him somewhere painful, but his hands were eager to punch something. This boy's face was far too _inhuman _to mar, and even though he found him annoying, he was not going to strike him. Ironically, enough, it wasn't really in his nature.

"I'm not afraid of you, Yami," Yuugi whispered.

Yami shook his head. "You all are. And you, of all of them, have a reason to be." He closed his eyes for a moment, pretending that he was somewhere else—anywhere but here. "I will transport us out soon, if that is what you wish."

"I don't want to leave yet. Please, Yami, I just want to help you—"

"You're a lying, _foolish_ amateur of an artist." Yami glared at him, defiant and impossibly beautiful, with the dark scenery raging behind him. A storm began to curl in the colored clouds, lightning crisscrossing the fields.

"That may be," Yuugi murmured, but he kept his head high. "But I still have a reason to be here: to be the best artist I can be, and to make a name for myself."

"That's a shallow reason to attend this place. It is nothing but a vessel of heartless imagination and deceptive intrigue." Yami's eyebrow rose. "And what would you want from a world like that, little one?" He casually approached Yuugi, his hand rising to trace the boy's delicate jawline. He already felt a strange surge of lust course through his veins, the deepest, darkest corners of his mind raging in response to such an action.

Dammit! He shouldn't have touched the boy. He shouldn't have said _anything_.

Yuugi stepped back, smacking his hand away. He was angry—Yami could detect the traces of frustration lingering from minutes before, and now it was exploding before him. "You're crazy, you know that? Wacko. Insane. But I want to help you. Why would I lie to you now? Do you honestly think I am stupid enough to try and take advantage of someone _not from this world_?"

Yami's teeth clenched. "You have no idea who or _what _I am—"

"You're right, I don't." Yuugi's shoulders tensed up. "But I'm willing to take risks and find the answers."

Yami growled. "Then you're much more idiotic than I thought."

Yuugi frowned, but it wasn't a response to his insult. "So why are you attracted to an idiot?"

Attraction?

_Attraction_?

Yami seethed, his brow furrowing and cracks forming in the ground beneath them. Intense rage seeped through crimson pools, and Yuugi's heart skipped several beats. Yami knew that the boy thought he was going to kill him—he wouldn't, but that statement was dreadfully uncalled for.

"How _dare you_…" Yami growled. "You think those _gestures_ are of _attraction_? I cannot _love_, you stupid child!" He struggled to calm himself. "You are not the first to make such accusations. This fucking school harbors the largest number of hypocrites you can possibly find! Stalkers, rapists, child molesters… pinning their hidden sins on the monster that dwells behind the walls." Yami snatched Yuugi and pulled him close, their faces inches apart. "Attraction does not exist."

Yuugi swallowed, but he pushed him away for the second time that night. "Then why do you kiss me? Why do you… why do you always look at me like you're going to _eat _me?"

Yami eyed him up and down, allowing a rumbling purr to sound in his throat. It was against his will, but his mind called for this boy to be screaming underneath him in some bed, somewhere, the artist screaming his name in pleasure and—

He shook his head and turned away. He would not let Yuugi see his shame.

"That is another thing that I cannot tell you, for reasons I cannot even describe. I really don't want this; I never even cared for meeting a boy like you. You hold no promise for my future."

"I never cared for this, either." Yuugi's fists clenched.

"Then get out." Yami bristled, the lightning crashing behind him. The zipping bolts were coming closer and closer. "Do you hear me?" He growled once Yuugi stepped back, but he looked more confused than ever.

"_GET. OUT_!"

* * *

Yuugi's head snapped up, colliding with the upper bunk bed.

Groaning, he rubbed his aching temples and glanced around his room. Puzzled, he saw Jounouchi slumped over the bed on the other side of the room, drool hanging off the edge of his mouth, his blonde hair tousled in rough places. Above him, Yuugi could hear Honda snoring and muttering words in his dream, something about Miho Nosaka… but he was careful enough not to hear what he was actually saying.

It wasn't a dream.

It couldn't have been!

_No… I, I never even fell asleep! I pinched myself, I told myself to wake up, and even Yami said that I wasn't dreaming. I was standing there… _He had stood there, in the middle of the empty hallway with another student—once a stranger to him—and they had transported to a realm that he was sure he was the first one to see.

Nothing made sense.

"Yuug'?" Jounouchi grumbled, stretching his arms high above his head. He blinked over at him and grinned sloppily. "You're awake. Heh, I knew you would eventually. You were found dozing off in the hallway."

Yuugi rubbed his forehead. That couldn't have been true.

_It's not_.

He believed he stood there, and even now he could feel the rough lashing of Yami's tongue in his mouth, his teeth nibbling along his lip… he felt it all, and it was an experience that he both hated and somehow loved it. There was a thrilling composition to the whole idea, and he was enthralled by the experience, despite how menacing the stranger was.

There was no way that Yami was mortal. Even he slightly admitted it—he told Yuugi that he was not accustomed to "their world". What could that have possibly meant other than that there was no way he was mortal?

_**It means your suspicions were correct.**_

Yuugi's mouth dried. He glanced over at Jounouchi, who had easily fallen back asleep after being awake for only thirty seconds max. Shaking his head, Yuugi exhaled shakily and tried to focus on some of the posters along the wall—anything to get his mind off of what he just heard. That silky voice, impossibly smooth and dreadfully seductive, passing like a whisper through his head.

_**Ah, I see that this is a surprise to you.**_

Yuugi swallowed, and his tongue felt numb.

_**You wandered into my realm, and so, our subconscious realities are intertwined. From now on I can sense whatever you think. **_

_No, that's impossible—_

_**This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't pranced about on these school grounds.**_

Yuugi's heart dropped. _N-No, I—_

_**You are now under my complete and total surveillance. Ignore these two buffoons that you call roommates, and come to me. I am outside, in the third grass courtyard.**_

Yuugi's fingers gripped the bed sheets with so much ferocity he thought his knuckles were going to blanche.

_I'm staying here. I-I can't even wrap my head around this! Stop whispering through my head!_

_**You can't avoid it now. Do as I say. You are, and now, always will be, connected to me. **_

He had really done this to himself. He shouldn't have approached the man in the first place—he shouldn't have asked so many questions, shouldn't have let the monster kiss him.

And now, it was too late.

_**If only you had been smarter.**_

Yuugi could practically picture the triumphant smile, the glistening teeth in the cracked formation of his features. The living statue wasn't going to wait long. Yuugi had to make a decision.

And fast.

_**My patience is wearing thin, little one. **_

_I'll come out—_

_**Do it now. For you will see exactly what I am capable of.**_

And with that, the connection broke.

Yuugi curled into a ball and muffled his screams into a pillow.

* * *

**A/N: Oooooooookay, so yeah, this story is finally taking that darker route that I'm pretty sure you were all waiting for. I have a lot of plans for this story and what's about to come around, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

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	7. VII: More and More

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_M_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**VII**

_More and More_

* * *

Maximillion Pegasus intertwined his fingers, glancing over the still surface of his wine. The red liquid bounced within the barriers of the glass cup, reflecting his mirror image right back at him. Behind him, the extravagant windows to his room were wide-open, gusts of wind carrying through and whipping the long, flamboyant locks of silver hair. His teeth were clenching, which looked strange as a part of his crooked smile. His narrowed, dark eyes were swimming with an emotion that Miho Nosaka could not decipher.

She constantly trembled in his presence. He frightened her to no end, but not for the reasons that others would have expected. Pegasus was an intimidating person, but his motives are always unclear and he seemed to have a talent for exploding into random tantrums. He always had her close in his proximity, as if he needed to scope out wherever she was, when she was needed the most. And at this very moment, she had never seen Pegasus so quiet, so indecisive and… frozen.

His thumbs rubbed together, a passive expression taking over. His eyes flickered up, catching Miho by surprise. She swallowed, bracing herself for what was to come; she needed to tread cautiously around this man.

"You're telling me… that you saw him wandering through the halls? Unguarded? Completely unsupervised?" His tone was light, carrying little emotion and little threat, but Miho knew better. She had taken her chances in the past, and she had the mental and physical scars to prove it. "Miho… I do believe this is why I place you in such high regards, to make sure things like this do _not happen_."

"I-I swear that it wasn't intentional. And they are just rumors; people say they spotted him earlier today, embracing some… man." She did not want to give away the identity of the boy she suspected to be in Yami's arms that afternoon. It would drive her reputation into the wall; not to mention, her life could very well be in jeopardy. If the rumors were true, if Yami had a secret lover, her head would be jammed onto a spike.

"A man? Or a boy?" Pegasus whispered begrudgingly, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up on his desk. "Perhaps you would like to explain to me how any of this happened, Miho. It simply does not make any sense to me." He feigned innocence, batting his eyelashes and grinning coyly. "After all, you are quite _gifted_, are you not, Ms. Nosaka? Do you have no recollection of why I trusted you with these assignments? With these students to watch over?"

Miho hesitated, but nodded. She needed to be smart about this. "I… yes, I do remember and I do understand what you are saying, Sir. I promise that this will not happen again. I swear to you that it will not happen again."

"Oh, indeed it won't." Pegasus smiled, and goose bumps spread across Miho's flesh. "Perhaps, you should have been much more careful, Ms. Nosaka."

The windows slammed shut.

She screamed.

* * *

Yuugi couldn't believe he was doing this.

His hands were stuffed into his pajama pockets, his lips pursed against the cold winds that whipped across the academy's entrance. It felt incredibly lonely and dangerous slinking into the shadowed outcrop of the gardens. The magnificent hedges that stretched in shapes around the campus would have been marvelous to look at during the day, but the suspicion that clung to his heart was keeping him from everything else. Every few minutes, if he tried to pivot on his heel and turn back in the direction he came from; the same chilling voice would return and warn him not to go back on his word.

But he didn't remember making a promise. It took him twenty minutes to even step out of his dorm room; his pillows were covered in saliva and tooth marks from his screams and his desperate attempts to keep his mind off the subject. But Yami was dangerous, and he knew from firsthand experience that he was not a person to try and trick, and now that their minds and thoughts were permanently linked…

He shuddered, sinking his teeth into his tongue. Blood welled between his teeth, and the coppery taste brought him back into focus. He stared ahead, watching as the evenly spaced trees billowed in the currents. A blanket of dusk stretched overhead, blossomed with twinkling stars. It would have been beautiful if he were in the mood to sit down and sketch the nightfall.

_**To your right.**_

Yuugi exhaled shakily, closing his eyes and swallowing a lump in his throat. He slowly turned as the voice instructed, still extremely cold in his garments, and blinked once he noticed the outline of the person he was looking for, leaning casually against a tree. Even now, the former stranger looked sensual; those blazing red eyes were visible from miles and miles away, and even now, when he felt like he was in so much danger, Yuugi itched to draw him.

He was physically perfect and emotionally unstable. In short, he was a monster and not of this world, and maybe that was why Yuugi had asked all of those questions when they were trapped in Yami's realm. He was still curious about him, despite all that the dangerous being had put him through.

Kissing him was one thing he found annoying, for starters.

_**I can see you blushing.**_

Yuugi growled, rolling his eyes. He hesitantly walked over to where the other man stood, standing at a reasonable distance from the other. Yuugi blinked, noticing the faint outcrop of the rest of the garden, where a stone fountain was spotted only several yards away, the water spouting even at this hour. Perhaps it was automatic, since it was much too late for anyone to be operating a machine to control it.

Yami stepped forward, his stance as confident and arrogant as ever. He stared straight at Yuugi—_into _him, almost—and tilted his head to the side. "I will be honest. I'm surprised you actually listened to my demands."

Yuugi blinked. "… Well, hearing someone else's thoughts echoing in your head will definitely scare you and, just maybe, make you do whatever said voice says. I don't know. It's just a hunch." He growled.

Yami suppressed a chuckle. "You are amusing." He dipped his head, closing his eyes for a moment, as if in deep thought. "I am always supposed to come here, by the fountain and the remainder of the hedges, at exactly a half an hour past midnight." His expression turned rather grim. "I am never late… but this is the first time the person I am required to meet is absent."

Yuugi's brow furrowed. "Why did you call me here?"

Yami noticed the rings of tiredness and sleep rubbing underneath the boy's eyelids. "For something that I want you to see." He pondered. "Did you think I was threatening you?"

Yuugi was close to just smacking his forehead in defeat. This man had so many different personalities it was unbelievable. He was now talking to him and observing him like it was another normal day in the park between best friends. If Jounouchi were here to see this, he would try to punch Yami senseless, and he wouldn't stop until his own knuckles bled.

Yami's brow furrowed. "Who is _Jounouchi_?"

Yuugi blinked. "So you can read my mind too?"

"Did I not explain that before? You traversed one of my sacred realms. It is inevitable for me to search through your thoughts. But I cannot read your memories, or your emotions." He seemed disappointed at that, a layer of curiosity masking his words, but Yuugi knew better. He was probably trying to manipulate him in some way, shape or form… and why was he acting so differently?

It was so bizarre.

"So, who is he?"

Yuugi frowned and crossed his arms stubbornly. "I don't see why you should care." He sighed, dipping his head. "Listen, can you please just tell me why you asked for me to come here? And this person you have to meet, where is he?"

"It is not a _he_. It is a _she_," he added distastefully, rolling his eyes. "She always meets me here. I am not allowed to reveal her identity, but her methods of meeting me here are going to be difficult to explain to you. Once she appears though I will explain your intrusion."

"_Intrusion_? You _commanded _me to come out here!" Yuugi's fists were balled and ready to punch something. He never felt like a violent person, but meeting this supernatural being was equivalent to meeting a stair master for the first time. The fear still radiated in his chest, pulsing through his blood like a virus, but he was now more aware and definitely more awake.

Yami paused, staring over towards the fountain with a furrowed brow.

Yuugi blinked. "… Is something wrong?" He frowned once the other did not respond, simply staring at the fountain like he expected something—or _someone_—to be there, and they never appeared. Minutes passed and Yuugi felt his patience ebbing away. "Can you just tell me why I'm here?"

Yami snarled at him, crimson orbs flashing. "Quiet! Something is wrong—"

"Oh, so she was correct after all."

Yuugi bristled, and blinked once Yami zipped to his side and stood in front of him—what was he doing? A low, predatory snarl rumbled in his throat, his fists clenching and his pupils bugging out like that of a startled cat's. Across the fountain, a tall, lithe figure dressed entirely in red and gold stepped out of the shadows. Long silver hair felt to his shoulders, framing a strangely narrow caramel-colored face.

Yuugi's heart raced.

Maximillion Pegasus.

"I found it quite hard to believe that you managed to wander the halls of my academy, _Yami_," Pegasus spat in cold, cold venom.

Yuugi blinked; what was the founder of the academy doing out here so late at night? And how did he know Yami?

Yami frowned, slightly relaxing. "Pegasus," he began, in a tone that sounded much more formal than normal. "Where is Miho?"

Yuugi stared at him in slack-jawed surprise. Miho Nosaka was the girl that he was supposed to meet? The very girl that showed him around the campus only weeks before? She always seemed so skittish and uncomfortable, especially when Yuugi encountered Yami for the first time, and the girl beside him had begged him to leave the stranger alone and forget that he ever saw him.

Pegasus shrugged, chuckling faintly. The sound was oddly feminine. "That is not important right now, my dear Yami. However, you are not permitted to be out here so late at night. I'm afraid that I must punish you accordingly to academy rules."

"You know very well that I'm not even a student here!"

"That may be so," Pegasus began slowly, and then his attention flickered towards Yuugi. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "My, my, Yami… were you being naughty?" He laughed in feigned amusement, shaking his head. "I must say, you pick your targets quite nicely. There were rumors circulating of you engaging in inappropriate affairs with a younger student, but I had no idea that it happened to be you, Yuugi Mutou."

Yuugi blushed. "I… that doesn't matter! And we're not in an _affair _of any kind. I don't understand why I'm even out here." He was telling the truth but it sounded purely stupid rolling off his tongue.

Pegasus's shoulders shook. "Oh, my, this is definitely not going how I planned it. Yami, you must come with me." His eyes flicked to Yuugi. "Of course, I suppose we can bring you along as well, Yuugi-boy, if that would be to your liking."

Yami bristled. "You cannot just _take _him—"

"But I certainly can take _you_ wherever I want."

Yuugi expected Yami to retort like the usual bastard that he was. But, no, his confidence seemed to shatter just being in front of Maximillion Pegasus, and the silver-haired man's words echoed in drum-like beats through the both of their minds. That usual, crooked smirk that emitted sensuality dropped in an instant, and his fingers were curled into his palms, shaking in stubbornness. His eyes were narrowed and his brows were knitted together in frustration with himself, but there was something else traced in those dark depths; he wished he could rebel, but for some strange reason, he could not.

Yuugi had never seen anything like it.

"Come, Yami—"

"No, wait!" Yuugi interrupted, gradually stepping in front of Yami and spreading his arms out wide beside him. "Why does he need to go with you alone? I mean…" He couldn't stop himself, but honestly he had no idea why he was doing this. Any normal person would have run away as soon as Headmaster Pegasus appear, but apparently Yuugi wasn't normal. Not even close.

Pegasus blinked. "… I suppose I've let you see too much." He glanced towards Yami, dipping his head in an expectant motion. "Deal with him."

Yuugi frowned, but he had no time to register this response. He glanced briefly over his shoulder, hoping to see the usually impassive face of his acquaintance. But those crimson pools were brimming with mixed emotions, some negative, some positive, much to Yuugi's surprise, but the negative overcame the positive before Yuugi could comprehend it.

He fell onto the ground, unconscious.

Pegasus smirked. "Well done, Yami. Well done. It is good to know that your loyalty to me has not faded."

* * *

When Yuugi woke, he was greeted with numb wrists, fingers and a severe pain in his ankles. He glanced around him, panicked; his heart raced inside his chest and he fought the urge to scream for his life. As far as he could tell, he was submerged somewhere dark and cramped; claustrophobia crept through his conscience and started probing him for entry. He grimaced and shook his head, trying to remain calm. His teeth grazed against a piece of duct tape slapped over his mouth—there was no way he could control his situation right now.

He heard voices—both familiar, and his thoughts raced back to what he assumed was only minutes before. Why had Yami attacked him? And how could Pegasus control him like that? So many questions brewed in the deepest corridors of his mind, but he knew that he would not be able to receive any answers soon.

"You are in a large amount of trouble. I do hope you realize the consequences of your actions, and just what it will cost you."

Was that… Pegasus?

Yuugi growled. He couldn't believe his situation right now. He should have never come to this academy if this was going to be his experience. First, he met a crazy supernatural basket case with motives that he truly didn't understand, and now the academy headmaster was probably plotting to kill him. He never did anything, but he knew that maybe Pegasus no longer needed a reason.

He seemed to enough power already.

The darkness suddenly split, the door open. Yuugi squinted, wincing as he was pulled out of the darkness and shoved to his knees. He glanced around him, struggling to adjust to the blinding light. As the brightness began to fade, he stared straight into the eyes of Pegasus, the man tall, smirking and overly confident as usual.

It reminded him of someone.

"Ah, Yuugi-boy… I did not think that you would bring me so much trouble within your first few weeks here." He chuckled and shook his head, turning his back to Yuugi. "Guards, rip that tape off. I want to hear him speak."

Yuugi grimaced as one of the suited guards beside him ripped off the tape; the stinging sensation remained on his lips for a solid minute. He sighed shakily, eyeing Pegasus in suspicion and frustration.

"Why did you…?"

He held up his hand, and Yuugi snapped his mouth shut. "No questions for now. I still need to think of what I should do with you. Oddly enough, Yami requested that you be spared, for you had no idea what you were getting yourself into." Pegasus shrugged. "However, I beg to differ, since you applied to this academy, knowing very well of the risks you would take."

Yuugi bristled. He did not like this man. "I came here to become the best artist that I could be." He dipped his head, sounding quite foolish. "I don't know how I wound up in this mess. If… if you want me to leave, I can. I really had no idea that Yami even existed until I walked through the first door—"

Pegasus nodded. "I already knew that." He folded his arms across his chest, walking behind his desk and sitting down on the rotating leather chair. He propped his elbows up on the table. "Step out, Yami."

Yuugi winced; the guard behind him grabbed his bound wrists and pulled him to his feet. He watched as one of the other doors opened and Yami stepped through, but he looked… different, from when Yuugi remembered.

Very different.

The normal essence of confidence that rolled off the man in waves was now completely gone. He stood straight and stiff, not at all exhibiting the freedom he showed when he ran forward to kiss Yuugi the second time they met; the cloak of mystery had disappeared, his skin had paled considerably, and the extravagant colors of his hair had faded, drooping against his facial features. His crimson eyes were normally so vibrant with angry passion, but they had dulled… they were nothing more than simple red mirrors: holding a reflection of someone that existed, and was no longer there.

He looked gray. Dying. Like a wilting flower.

Yuugi felt a surprising stab of pity for the strange man. He wasn't supposed to feel pity for someone who used his will against him so frequently, but the kindest part of his heart opened up to Yami's vulnerable appearance.

Pegasus chuckled. "Quite different now, isn't he?" Yami didn't even muster enough energy to glare. "I made sure that he received the appropriate punishment for his actions."

Yuugi frowned, noticing that Yami was refusing to look in his direction. _Yami? You said that you can read my mind, right? Can you talk to me like this? What did Pegasus do to you?_

He blinked; he did not receive an answer.

"I have not decided what to do with you yet, Yuugi-boy. Truly, I did expect you to get involved in the darker parts of this academy, but I had not expected you to actually interact with one of the more dangerous ones." He gestured towards Yami with a flick of his head; the other stiffened and glanced away in hidden annoyance and shame. "I'm afraid that I will not be able to let you leave anytime soon."

Yami's eyes widened at that—the first visible motion Yuugi had seen since he walked out of the door—and stared at Pegasus. "He… has nothing to do with this, Pegasus." Why did he stutter? Yuugi had never seen Yami stutter like this before. Even though they still hardly knew each other, the disposition between the Yami then and the Yami now was severely different. It was like two separate people.

"Actually, he does. You touched him."

Yami bristled and his teeth gritted. "Pegasus—"

"This is your doing." Pegasus chuckled towards Yuugi once more. "Make sure he is not awake for what is to come."

Yuugi blanched. "_Wait_—"

His world was swallowed in black before he could protest.

* * *

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	8. VIII: S t e n c i l

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_T_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**VIII**

* * *

_Stencil_

* * *

"Perhaps… you should stop attempting this type of life." Pegasus addressed his reflection in a full-length mirror, admiring the shape of his bathrobe. His lips were twitching into an impossibly smooth grin, his brow creased and his expression masked in amusement. "I mean, you have certainly gotten into trouble in the past, but I made sure that none of that occurred any longer after our restrictions were made." Pegasus glanced over his shoulder, observing the tall, slender figure of Yami with an elegantly risen eyebrow. "Tell me, Yami-boy… what drew you to this lad?"

Yami lifted his head, but his face held no readable emotion. He looked wilted, crumbling and torn from the inside out. His jaw was clenched and Pegasus detected the motion underneath his smooth skin. Yami had once been the most beautiful individual that Pegasus had lad his eyes on, but now he seemed like a walking shadow, draping his concerns and suspense on people that did not deserve it.

He constantly cursed this boy. He wanted him to disappear off the face of the planet, but apparently that was not an option.

"Sit," Pegasus ordered, and the other obeyed. It would have surprised anyone else if they had seen Yami actually listen to a higher authority's commands, but those were due to specific reasons. There was nothing Yami could do that he did not have control over… well, except for this certain mishap. "Tell me how you encountered the boy. And… how you let him into one of your realms."

Yami glanced away, saying nothing.

Pegasus was a man quick to lose his patience, and Yami was treading on dreadfully thin ice. "Answer me." Minutes passed, and the mysterious individual refused to say anything regarding his question. Propping his elbows up on his desk, Pegasus gestured with a flick of his head towards the doors. "Do you want me to bring Yuugi-boy back in here? To have him see just what you've become? If I was not mistaken, he tried to protect you before—"

"What you assume from between us is wrong," Yami replied, his teeth grinding. "There is nothing that exists there. I despise the boy." He locked eyes with Pegasus, but those dulled crimson eyes barely beat with the life they had before.

The silver-haired headmaster chuckled in bemusement. "Oh, well, if that is the case, then why is he an exception, hm? You know of the dangers, of interacting with these students. And for some strange reason that I have not been able to figure out, you let him in."

"I did not. He invaded."

"You should have killed him then." His words dripped with acid, with absolutely no regret of mentioning the death of a practical teenager. Yami stared at him for a solid few seconds, before turning his attention away from him once more and observing the plastered walls.

"You are still wrong."

"I don't think I am, Yami-boy," Pegasus inquired, chuckling grimly. "I have my control over your life, and you have… absolutely none. That is simply how this world is going to work. That is how this academy works."

"Set me free—"

"And you know exactly why I cannot do that," Pegasus countered, his brow furrowing in discomfort. Suddenly, his posture and the tone of his words turned much more serious. Yami's eyes were narrowed and focus, demanding something from the headmaster that the other man knew was just impossible. "Hm, was letting Yuugi into your realm a stepping-stone to get into this conversation? I never thought you would be this manipulative to get what you want, Yami-boy."

Yami stiffened. "I didn't… _use _him. It's his fault he applied here. It's his fault he walked into my life—"

"That may be so. But instead of ridding of him you did whatever you could to keep him in your sights when he was not knowledgeable of it. He seems to somehow find interest in you, despite your rather violent tendencies." Pegasus smirked. "But I'm sure you haven't exactly told Mr. Mutou the whole story. After all, he seemed quite confused when you walked through that door."

Yami growled, his weaker appearance disheveling even more. "I know that." And then those crimson orbs glazed over, pondering something else, possibly picturing the face of the boy that somehow got involved in his crazy world. Yuugi Mutou was a fool for stepping into his life, and he was a fool in return for allowing something so ludicrous. If that stupid boy hadn't applied to this academy, hadn't seen him play an instrument, none of this would have happened.

… _Y-Yami?_

Yami's pupils dilated. That voice, no… no it couldn't be. Yuugi was unconscious!

Pegasus grinned. "Ah, I can sense that you are somehow engaging in a linked mind conversation. Interesting. I had no idea that such a technique could exist, even in the subconscious." He shook his head. "Do not talk to him, Yami-boy. This discussion is far more important than the well-being of the boy you let into this situation."

Yami scowled. "I don't care for his well-being."

Then why did his tongue curl at his own words? Why had he stiffened when he conjured these thoughts? Why was he so hesitant? So many questions raced in his head, blurring his vision of the real world. He was getting weaker, and now that Miho was gone, there was no one who could help him.

Pegasus slapped his hands together. "Never before have I seen such an obvious lie. Maybe I should bring Yuugi-boy back in, and tell him everything."

Yami's hands gripped the arms of his chair and his expression crumbled into defeat. There was just no way he could outsmart Pegasus, not when this blasted son of a bitch had so much power over him. And he couldn't leave the academy—he was forbidden to even step outside the gardens, and now he was forced to face a startling truth that he had not realized before.

Just what did Yuugi Mutou mean to him?

He was an obnoxious little boy, strung up in artistry… a clear prodigy, with the way he moved his brushstrokes, and his command over certain styles gave him titles in other schools. Pegasus was especially pleased to have this boy attend the academy, and now there was no way for him to escape.

And Yami was the one responsible.

"You knew of the consequences," Pegasus continued, trying to get the weaker man to confess. "You knew that once Yuugi-boy wandered into your realm, conversed with you, and complied to give you more and more visions… that he was tied to you, to this academy, for eternity."

"I didn't," Yami snapped, but he recoiled at his own lies.

Just what the hell was he thinking when pressed his lips to Yuugi's, when he demanded attention from the other? And Yuugi could see his visions, _partake _in them… and that had never happened before. Twice he had forced himself on the teenager, his lips crashing down onto the other's, and both times Yuugi responded. He responded, and then he was allowed to walk in a realm that Yami created with his own mind, with the abilities he possessed that only one other man knew about.

Pegasus stirred his wine with a thoughtful look on his face. "I believe that you are simply being a stubborn brat, Yami-boy." He chuckled at the thought. "Though I would have never associated these words with you, I know that the outcome of this situation has proved dire."

Yami's teeth gritted. "Why does Yuugi have to be here?" he snapped, his fingers clenching the arms of his chair with so much force he believed for a second that he could tear the things clean off. "Why does he have to suffer in this world that you've created? Why does he have to partake in this? I can release him if I pulled him in, can I not?"

"No, you cannot," Pegasus replied. "You caused quite a mess. Unfortunately, because she was hiding this information from me, Miho Nosaka was forced to pay a heavy price."

Yami's eyes bulged in shock. Miho… he knew there was something wrong when she hadn't joined him in the gardens, and Pegasus was there instead. The silver-haired headmaster mentioned certain details regarding the pretty woman's fate, but Yami was the only other individual that knew of the consequences.

"She is no longer here with us," Pegasus drawled on. "Though I think you know that."

_Yami…_

Yami shook his head. No, that voice! It kept pestering him, begging for him to respond, to see just what was wrong with Yuugi and how the boy could possibly be contacting him at this very moment. The words seeped into the chambers of his subconscious, and then retreated like ghosts fading in the wind.

"Though I suppose I'm not surprised that you do not care for Miho's departure. She was quite adamant about you overcoming my authority someday, though I do not see how that is going to happen." Pegasus smiled crookedly. "Because, dear Yami-boy, I think that I have already found your primary weakness. The indecision is clear in your own eyes, and I will make sure that I use this against you."

Yami turned to him, unbelieving. "You have nothing to gain from me."

"You know why you exist, and how," Pegasus retorted. "And yes, in some cases, I need you alive, so I will need you to listen to me and listen to me well." His lips pursed, demanding Yami's unwavering attention. And, to his own subtle surprise, his neck moved against his will and he obeyed. "Good. Now that I have your attention… I want to make this very clear."

Yami growled.

"If you wish to take your control from me, Yami-boy, Mr. Mutou will suffer the consequences." Pegasus seemed delighted once Yami stiffened at this news. "You rebel, and Yuugi's blood will paint the walls scarlet. I am positive that you have no desire to see that, do you?" He chuckled, leaning back in his chair and casting his attention to the stars outside. "I'm sure that you thought you had a chance, some form of survival tactic, some means to this world… but you have nothing."

_Yami, Yami, please answer me! It's so dark and I can't… I-I can't…_

Yuugi's voice was dreadfully painful to listen to. Yami reared his head back, rubbing his temples, clenching his teeth and trying to do whatever he could to block the images of the boy's youthful, formerly innocent face, contorted in fright and repulsion of the darkness and how lost he felt in those depths. Shaking his head, he couldn't shake the image out, and his stomach fell to the point that he realized what he had done.

He was too attached.

He had done the unthinkable.

_**Wait for me**__._

"Pegasus…" Yami growled, slowly rising from his seat. The headmaster turned towards him, blinking in bewilderment and slight confusion as to why the other man was starting to stand, specifically turned towards him with clouds of hatred radiating from his slender body. He was willing himself to rebel, and this was not what the silver-haired man wanted.

He glared icily. "Stand down," he ordered, but the other refused. His eyes widened significantly. "Stand down immediately!" What was going on? His control couldn't be slipping now—he had too much influence over Yami for the other to be that stupid. Just what was motivating him?

"You say you have so much power over me, but that is only because of my origins," Yami began, his fingers twitching, like that of an artist's who had the famous itch to draw. A cruel, almost sadistic smirk broke out onto his features, and suddenly the spikes of his hair started whipping in artificial winds, the ground beginning to cave. "You gave this power to me, because you are responsible for everything that has happened. It's true that I let the boy in… and I'm not letting him go."

Pegasus swallowed, staring in disbelief as the walls began to drip like melting candles. The floor started to fall, like a giant hole of quicksand was sucking everything into the middle. His desk, his papers, his glass windows flying into the disintegrating pit, the illusion plaguing his mind in utter disarray. He couldn't believe this—Yami had never commanded this strength before, not after he… not after he depleted him of his will, his hope, and filled his head with the truths of his origins. This was impossible—

"If you kill me, Yami, you will be erased from existence!" Pegasus exclaimed, trying desperately to scoot off to the side of the room, bracing himself against the melting wax of the walls.

Yami shook his head. "You and I know very well that that isn't true. Don't blame me. Blame yourself." He tilted his head to the side, the rims of his startling crimson eyes suddenly burning in a new light.

_Yami, where are you? I don't know what to do._

Yuugi's voice drove him forward. It somehow gave him strength. What he believed was repulsion in the past was not that at all. He let the boy in because he found him intriguing, because he believed that he had secrets that needed to be used to his advantage, and those too-big amethyst eyes demanded his attention in every way, shape and form. Yuugi had an incredible effect on him, and he realized this now.

He was the one responsible for Yuugi's ties to the academy.

Pegasus screamed for his life, but it was no use. His guards would be sucked into the vortex as well, and human weapons would be no match against a man that, in all technicalities, was not real.

"I created you!" Pegasus gasped, his form disappearing into the caving floors and walls. There was nothing he could do to snap the other out of his incredible state of power. Miho Nosaka never had these abilities; she never had this much control over the elements, over the real world. His mind was not playing tricks on him; his heart was beating at an unbearable pace and his thoughts were swallowed up in fear and realization. "Yami, I created you! I am responsible for your existence!"

"That may be so," the man replied calmly, his eyes practically glowing with the power radiating from him in waves. "But I'm sure not even you could understand how a creation of yours could gain a will of his own." It had everything to do with Yuugi Mutou, and he never thought he would think this, but he was incredibly thankful. The secrets that whispered through his head in his entire life, the reason he didn't have a last name…

He was Pegasus's former masterpiece.

"You'll die without me in the real world! There will be nothing for you out there once you take over!" Pegasus tried to reason with his creation. Never had he thought this would happen. The boy was supposed to be a weakness; a tool to pull Yami into his eternal submission, but for some strange reason the boy's voice had awoken something dangerous inside him.

It was a side that Pegasus never wanted to bring out. The one flaw of a piece of art that was so deadly and dangerous to the real world that he regretted thinking of the image in the first place. These pieces of art, these masterpieces, were meant to return to form in a plan that was much more secretive and unexpected than anyone else would have thought.

And now that this was happening… now that he was going to die, he was never going to see the plan turn out.

He would never see his wife again.

Sadism crept onto Yami's cold smile. "I will enjoy watching you die for your crimes, Pegasus."

This was it—everything that Pegasus had done to him, everything that had driven him and Miho Nosaka to their breaking points, had finally given him the opportunity that any scorned creation would want. He was reveling in the destruction of his master, in the total disarray of a real world, and commanding the laws of physics to obey him and him alone.

Vines as thick as tree trunks suddenly sprung through the ground, plunging into the melting walls, reaching skyward and tangling up the building in a frenzy. Colorful flowers blossomed along the crumbling bookcases, lining the corners with huge petals and walls of thorns. Stone, wood, and even slabs of concrete overtook some of the architecture, transforming everything to be exactly what Yami wanted.

_**Thank you, Aibou**_.

He didn't know if Yuugi heard his words of thanks, but when he focused once more, the room had disappeared, encased in stones and wood, powerful vines displaying the authority that Pegasus once had over him. And there the bastard was… frozen in the corner, half-submerged in what used to be a sinking floor, his mouth open, his arms flailing as he begged for his life. He was entirely encased in marble.

A prison best suited for a weak human.

A weak, manipulative, _disgusting _wasted piece of existence.

This… this was only the beginning.

* * *

Yuugi woke.

The first thing he noticed was the heavy pain that dwelled on the back of his neck, in his ribs and along his spine. The guards had dealt a heavy number on him before throwing him into a separate room, silencing him with continuous insults and kicks to his skull. He expected to be tossed into some prison cell, forced to smell the asphalt and observe the corpses of insects that would be scattered around him like grains of sand.

But no, he wasn't.

He definitely wasn't.

Instead, he found himself in a small, comfortable room. The floors were covered in a dainty scarlet carpet with gold threading. Drapes of the same color billowed over smooth, polished wood like the cape of a superhero. A glass chandelier that resembled a fountain of diamonds was displayed overhead, shining very little actual light. A large king-sized bed was covered in several comfortable-looking blankets, each one sporting a new shade of red or blue. A canopy was stretched overhead, outlined in frilly dove feathers.

But what grabbed Yuugi's attention the most was the huge golden throne sitting on one end of the room, encased in a tower of drapes and ropes of glittering jewels. The velvet cushion seemed untouched and the arms of the chair looked like no one had laid a hand on them in years. Above the throne was a portrait of an outlandishly beautiful young woman with long, flowing golden hair. Immediately Yuugi thought of the fairy tale _Rapunzel_, but those thoughts washed away as he collected the image of the painting and realized that her pose made it look like a true portrait.

She was a real person.

… But who was she?

Yuugi's fingers twitched, glancing around him for any means of escape. The tall rosewood doors were heavily padlocked, barring him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He didn't understand why Maximillion Pegasus needed him as a sort of hostage against Yami, because Yami clearly didn't care what happened to him. He felt like he had tried to reach the other man in his subconscious, while he was still fighting off the pain, but he knew that his fear-laced words and confessions hadn't reached him.

And even if they did, Yami wouldn't care. He clearly despised him—but why had he turned on him like that? What was the point to it?

_**Aibou, tell me where you are.**_

Yami apparently chose to respond, but Yuugi stopped, sitting on the ground and crossing one leg over the other. Aibou? Partner? Why did he suddenly address him like that? For some odd reason it sent his cheeks flame in embarrassment and he struggled to hide the growing anxiousness in his chest.

_I'm… in some room. A lot of gold and red and a throne is here. And a portrait of a woman is hanging up on a wall. I think this is Pegasus's bedroom._

Yuugi paused, waiting for a reaction. Two minutes passed before the voice returned, sounding much more aggravated than usual.

_**It is. Wait for me. I'm… taking care, of some things.**_

Their connection broke off and Yuugi was left to traverse the room on his own. It never occurred to him that Pegasus would have a bedroom like this; it was colored top to bottom in dark blues, royal purples and eye-catching crimsons. For some odd reason, the colors reminded him of something, but he chose to drop that particular theory and started walking over to the bed.

He ran his hand over the soft velvet blanket, his brow furrowing as he realized that this bed was big enough for two people. Did… did that portrait of the beautiful woman have some relation to this? Just who was she?

He sighed, wondering just what he would tell his grandfather in this situation. A low, amused chuckle parted his lips, despite how serious the situation is. He could picture Sugoroku's worried face, his wrinkles creasing his leathery face, and his constant attempts to break Yuugi out of his prison.

Whatever Pegasus wanted from him, he didn't know what it was, and now he just wanted to get out of this building and fly back to his grandfather as soon as possible. Meeting Yami was a sort of milestone that woke him up to how dangerous and crazy this place was. There was something else at work, and the fact that Yami wasn't human was more than obvious.

Just why did he have to even apply here? It was clearly just an illusion, and Pegasus had practically planned for him to come here. There was no mistaking it.

_So why did I fall for the trap? _Because apparently he was a lot dumber than he originally expected. Shaking his head, he walked away from the bed. He scanned the room once more, and blinked at another piece of interest caught his eye. It was a closet of sorts, but he felt compelled to walk over and search inside. His feet dragged him over to the secretive chamber, and he found that his hands pulled the smooth wooden doors aside.

Inside was a portrait. Yuugi rubbed his eyes, his jaw dropping as he took in the image.

It was Yami.

A portrait of _Yami_. It was a vibrant, very well-painted image of the beautiful, mysterious man that dragged him into this mess. The background was white, untouched, remaining as the canvas, but the figure in front of it… no, it was definitely Yami, and the canvas was balancing on an easel. Nothing else was spotted in the closet, as if this was some sort of portal into a secret that Pegasus had been keeping from everyone.

"I'm sure that you have more questions than I can answer."

Yuugi whirled around, his lips pursed in disbelief. Yami stared at him with his hands in his pockets, but he looked significantly different than before. The doors that had been padlocked were burst open, splinters of wood scattered across the richly colored room like a disrupted fountain. Yami's hands were casually contained in his pockets, but his expression was rather grim, his eyes holding traces of… what was that? Guilt?

Yuugi found himself stuttering. A thousand theories popped in his head, but he would not settle for those. He wanted—no, he _deserved _answers, and now.

"Why… why is there a portrait of you in here? And why does Pegasus have so much control over you? Why did you attack me?" Yuugi bit his lip, finding that tears were starting to line his eyelids. He furiously swiped at his face, growling in frustration at his overriding emotions. He was just so confused and felt so lost and uninformed when he truly deserved the most information out of anyone else there.

Yami dipped his head. "Do you want a blunt answer?"

Yuugi shook his head. "I want you to just tell me the truth. You owe me that much. You dragged me into this mess." He was so angry, so livid with a fire that was growing hotter and hotter in his belly.

Yami closed his eyes, and for a second Yuugi thought he was going to turn around and walk away, but he didn't, and that former vibrancy licked life into his intelligent crimson orbs. Once again, just looking into his eyes robbed Yuugi of his thought process, and he felt his tongue and throat dry.

What had Yami done to him?

"I…" Yami sighed. "I know this will sound strange, but listen." He gestured with a flick of his head towards the portrait. "I am a living painting. Created by Maximillion Pegasus."

Yuugi's heart plunged to his feet.

* * *

**Eh? EH? You like? You like da chapter? :P I hope so. I loved writing this one… Yami's a badass.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, alerted/favorite this story! **

**OH! And I have published a new one. Check out **_**The Boy in the Black Sweater**_**! It's a supernatural/horror/mystery/suspense/romance story with MOBIUMSHIPPING… so check it out. Thanks!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**- Sulfur**


	9. IX: Keeping Composure

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_T_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**IX**

_Keeping Composure_

* * *

"You're… you're a _what_?" Yuugi blinked, tempted to break into laughter at what he'd just heard. "Are you… no, that can't be. That's impossible. I mean, I know that you're not human but there's no way that _that _can happen. Maximillion Pegasus… he's not a wizard or something. There's no way that you're telling me the truth." But somehow, it made sense.

Yami, the dreaded living painting, forever cursed to stalk the halls of the academy that his creator, his master, built from top to bottom.

Yami dipped his head. "I am."

Yuugi blinked and placed his hand over his stomach, leaning back against one of the open closet doors to maintain his balance. It was like he was punched in the stomach, sapped of his mental strength for a good, agonizing amount of time. He stared into the wicked eyes of the man who he knew from the beginning was not normal, when he first stumbled upon him playing the violin. The melodies were unmistakable and he was so entranced, determined to get to know this person and somehow understand his origins.

But this… this was nothing like he'd ever imagined. It frustrated him to no ends because it felt like if he hadn't just applied to this school, hadn't fallen for the elusive traps that Pegasus set out for him, he wouldn't be in this mess. And now, Yami was looking at him in a manner that was quite different than before, and he felt significant shivers of both pleasure and hesitation ripple down his spine.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Yuugi replied weakly. He was just tired of this place; tired of this world he was forced to live with.

He glanced over Yami's features, and realized that this kind of physical perfection, angles and colors could not be human. There was a reason he was so entrancing when he met him; because a professional artist did whatever they could to draw him, and somehow he came to be. Now, this made way too much sense for him to admit his stupidity and his curiosity.

He was still a weak little child, trusting his heart over his mind.

"You don't have to say anything," Yami whispered sullenly. He turned his attention to the rest of the room, his brow furrowing in thought.

Yuugi bit his lip. "Pegasus… who was he, then? How did he obtain all that power? And why did he create you?" He frowned in slight pity for Yami—even though this nonhuman was a cruel and sometimes manipulative being, another side to him was definitely showing through the cracks, with the more truth he revealed the more human he seemed.

Yuugi didn't know what that would be like, to be a living painting. He pictured a lonely, frightening world, where everyone pictured you as a freak and refused to talk to you unless you somehow proved yourself. It reminded him of his experiences in high school, being shoved against lockers, pounded to the ground or just plain insulted… just because of how he looked, talked, or even smiled.

The world was a cruel, cruel place.

But at least Yuugi was human.

"He wanted me to become strong enough, to have me reach the point of humanity in this world long enough that I would eventually grow an artificial soul."

Yami's lips tightened at his growing confession. Maybe it was the way the boy looked at him, or the fact that he found himself drawn to the little runt, that made him speak the truth. They still barely knew each other and yet there was this palpable bond that neither could resist, and it was making him talk, with or without his will.

"An artificial soul?" Yuugi frowned, and suddenly he diverted his attention to the portrait of the beautiful blonde woman. "Does it have something to do with her?" he asked.

Yami dipped his head. "Yes. She was his late wife." He pondered. "He claimed that, after creating me, I would have to remain out of contact with humans and stuck in this building so that I would not lose my grip on my supernatural powers. But apparently that didn't last very long; and Miho Nosaka was in charge of keeping me at bay."

Yuugi remembered the way she desperately tried to get his attention away from Yami. It made sense to him now, at least.

"He was planning on using the artificial soul from my body to somehow revive his wife from the dead." He sighed. "He made that portrait of her as a final draft for his spells. Since I was born as a sort of rough draft piece, he wanted to figure out how he could use my artificial soul as a sacrifice of sorts to bring the real woman to life, rather than settling on a portrait he made years ago."

Yuugi slowly shook his head, walking to the other side of the room in order to tear his attention away from the scene playing up around him. "This is all really crazy stuff. I don't know if I can handle this."

"You must," Yami urged. "I brought you into my world, and there is no way out at this point in time." Suddenly, his voice was much closer and his breath trailed over Yuugi's neck in a clearly suggestive motion, slender yet strong arms wrapping coyly around Yuugi's waist. The teenager was close to hyperventilating if this continued, and he swallowed in surprise once Yami's teeth nibbled along his neck. "I can't explain how I'm so drawn to you, Aibou…" He growled, like a hungry animal. "But I want you in my world; I want you to see what I can do for you now that Pegasus's control over my body has dissipated. You are the only person that can understand who I am and what I am… and I want to give you that world."

Yuugi broke away from his grasp and backed up against the wall, his cheeks flushed and his heart slamming against his chest at the speed of a raging bull. "I don't… know, I'm not _like _you, Yami. And you attacked me back there!" Yami visibly winced at this notification. "You listened to his orders and knocked me unconscious without even stopping to think about it. I don't even know if I can trust what you're telling me now, even though it makes way too much sense." He rubbed his temples and scowled. "So what is real, then?"

Yami pondered this. "This academy… was indeed, a hoax created by Pegasus to lure you in. The people here do not exist." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner, about his plans, about the world that you were entering. I had no idea that you were supposed to be a part of this entire scheme until it was too late." He growled in hatred while discussing his former master. "But he is dead now."

Yuugi's eyes shot wide. "What?" Pegasus was dead? What the hell? "What did you _do_?" His hands were shaking in protest; his own body was telling him that he really didn't want to know.

"Sit, Aibou."

A chair made of stone and cluttered bones erupted from the ground, tripping Yuugi and causing him to fall back on it. He spluttered in surprise and was about to jump off, but Yami was already shoving him back down, sitting gradually on top of him and glaring through with those terrifying red eyes.

Yuugi flushed. The close proximity between them made his breath catch and a series of rather interesting images flash through his mind, and he tried to shake his head to be rid of them. Yami's strong hands gripped his wrists and kept him seated on this strange chair.

"There are quite a lot of things I can do, even things that you have not seen yet." Yami's brow furrowed. "This world that I've brought you into is just between the two of us. I have you to myself, now; you don't need the outside world." He leaned close, his lips brushing tentatively over the teenager's. "You only need _me_."

And then he sealed Yuugi's lips in a kiss. The teen struggled at first, trying to break away, but eventually his senses gave in, his knees buckled and his arms found themselves wrapping around Yami's neck, pulling the otherworldly individual closer. This man—he was a living painting, but oh he felt so real; the way the taller male used his power to control him, to drive him into this cloud of ecstasy was far beyond Yuugi's expectations. He would be lying to himself if he claimed he hadn't wanted this, but he never expected it to actually come true.

Yami then took Yuugi's body into his arms, lifting him from the chair. The boy almost squeaked and as he flushed, the other man chuckled and a dark grin spread across his tantalizing lips. Yuugi blinked as he was thrown onto something soft and plush—though it was not Pegasus's bed. When he tried to drink in the image before Yami launched on top of him, he saw that he created another bed, this time with smooth bone material supporting the mattress, and the blankets… they looked and felt like swan feathers.

"Focus on me, Yuugi," Yami breathed, descending down onto him once more. "I will show you what you deserve for coming into my world."

* * *

Yami wasn't sure what he was doing. He felt that he was confessing his secrets, his origins, practically everything about him and his history, to the right person after all. Originally he was so suspecting of Yuugi, wondering why Pegasus would be focusing on someone so scrawny, so inept to common sense and a figurative imagination. As someone who clearly wasn't human, he had no idea how to respond to Yuugi's curiosity in the beginning, but those frustrations somehow transformed into something else entirely, and now he had the boy wrapped around his finger.

He stared at the flawless skin of the teen's back, the soft, milky texture flying under his fingertips with ease during the night. Yami leaned up, his lips pressed into a thin line until he scoped out the features of the sleeping boy; those huge amethyst eyes, always so wrought with intelligence and wonder, were closed to the world. Black lashes fluttered against his marble cheeks, sighs of sleep and dreams misting through his parted lips.

He hadn't noticed it due to his stubborn view on the harsh world, but Yuugi Mutou—his apparent Aibou—was beautiful. He resembled a cherub when he slept, and the night they spent together was flooded with his screams of pleasure and adoration towards the man that revealed he wasn't human at all. But Yuugi was smart and Yami suspected that he knew from the beginning that he wasn't human.

His eyes darkened; Yuugi… he would need to convince him that this new world was the best for him.

He would do whatever he could to maintain the boy in his arms, to make sure that he had whatever he wanted, whatever he needed, and _whenever _he required those things. It was his duty now to protect the one person that he felt like he could talk to—damn Yuugi for making him soft, for allowing him into this universe of kindness and childish hopes and dreams… and yet, he thanked him all the same.

His fingers tenderly brushed his new lover's shoulder, and paused at his own mental wording. Lovers? Were they truly lovers? He thought about calling this new emotion that stirred in his chest "love"… but he wondered if Yuugi had felt the same. He seemed so scared of him when he told him the truth; he would have to convince him that love existed between them. Lust was definitely apparent, and that was mostly his fault. He planed a poisonous seed of attraction in the naïve boy and he pulled the rest of the reigns.

Maybe this was meant to be, as unlikely as it sounded. Maybe Yuugi was destined to be brought before him, to relish in this dangerous, dark world that Maximillion Pegasus created for his own selfish reasons. Yami promised himself that he would make a new reality for Yuugi… his Yuugi.

He smirked. _His _Yuugi. He liked the sound of that. Only he would be allowed to grace in the perfection and light of the one person he felt could never exist until he met solid proof. If Yuugi's kind heart, childish outlook and ethereal beauty was revealed to any other man, he would surely capture too many hearts and souls in that snaring void. And Yami would not have that.

Yuugi stirred in his sleep, and Yami frowned, wondering if the other was not resting well. Yuugi had collapsed hours before since he was so exhausted from their night together, but that was not enough for Yami to be concerned. He knew very well that Yuugi would be tired—but to see him toss and turn in his slumber, muttering random, frightening things in his sleep put Yami on edge. He didn't like not being able to protect Yuugi.

He would have to make everything up to Yuugi for his consideration and generosity. This… this was only the beginning. He would do whatever he could to make sure that everything was definitely perfect.

For his Yuugi.

_My Yuugi_.

"Yami?" Yuugi whispered, his dark purple eyes fluttering open. He turned over, the blankets of swan feathers hiding the rest of his formerly untouched, pure body. He sighed and looked exhausted; dark rings circled beneath those beautiful orbs, injecting concern and guilt into Yami's mind. "You're a living painting… you're not human."

Yami smirked in amusement. "I already told you that, Little One." He frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Yuugi sighed, frowning in dismay. "So how could we… you know, do that?" He was obviously referring to the night they spent together. Yami chuckled at how adorable the human looked with his flushed face and tired eyes.

"I still resemble a human physically." He pondered. "Though I do wonder at times why Pegasus made me into a human image. He could have easily made an animal of sorts… perhaps he had other plans for me, but I'm not sure about them."

Yuugi sat up, allowing the blanket to tumble off and reveal the creamy tone of the skin of his shoulders, arms and lower back. Yami's pupils dilated and he controlled his lust; he knew Yuugi was exhausted and he didn't want to pounce on the other man again.

"I… want to go home," Yuugi whispered, exhaustion stringing up his voice into knots. Yami's brow furrowed at these words, but he decided to listen before making brash decisions. "This whole experience isn't what I thought it would be. I mean… I'm glad, in the end, that I met you, but I'm just so confused." He shook his head. "Does that make any sense?"

Yami considered this. His stomach twisted in nervousness because he really didn't like what Yuugi was saying right now. "You want to leave." He paused, his brow furrowing together. "Forever."

Yuugi winced at the way the other's tone darkened. "I know you probably don't understand, but I expected coming here for college, and that his academy was going to be my dream school. But now… now I know that it basically doesn't exist. The creator of this place even kidnapped me and had me bound and tied in a dark room!" Yuugi sighed, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe I'm even saying these things. It's just so ludicrous. And my grandpa is probably worried sick about me."

Yami's selfish personality broke to the surface; Yuugi couldn't leave. He just couldn't. "I can't go with you," he whispered icily. "I am bound to this place."

Yuugi frowned. "I… assumed that."

"So you don't want me around." He sighed and stood up, entirely naked and causing Yuugi's face to flush once more. "Even after that… for the sake of Pegasus, Yuugi, I made love to you!" He stared towards the teenager, heat and righteous anger burning in those intimidating depths. "I have never felt like I had a true purpose to my artificial life. But then I met you, and although I despised you in the beginning you still opened yourself up to me, asked questions, begged to know more… and I couldn't push that away." He shook his head. "And now you have me and I can't let you go."

Yuugi stiffened. "I… Yami—"

"I can't," the other responded, and suddenly his clothes returned to his body, cladding his slender form in the simple leather and chains that Yuugi was accustomed to. "I _cannot _let you walk away from me!"

Yuugi jumped out of the bed, bristling and grabbing his clothes on the ground. He pulled on his jeans and his shirt, not bothering with the jacket and shoes as he stared at the other man, anguish and hurt boiling in his cherubic features.

If he was trying to use that against Yami, he wasn't going to let it work.

"I fell in love with you," Yuugi whispered. Yami stiffened, staring in surprise towards his one-time affair. "And I know that you don't feel the same way. You just want to possess me, to keep me here like a prisoner." He glared and shook his head. "You're right: I _did _let myself into your world. I was curious and stupid and maybe I shouldn't have, but I couldn't resist and now this is where I am. But did I want this? I don't want to be trapped here! I have a family, a home to go back to!"

Yami growled. "And I do not."

The teen bristled. "Then come _with _me. You can start over—"

"Do not be an idiot Yuugi! I already told you that I'm bound here forever! Even with Pegasus gone my soul, or whatever _is _keeping me alive, is stuck here until I die. There is no way for me to escape." He dipped his head. "There really is nothing that I can do."

"You would find a way if you really cared for me."

Those words jabbed Yami like a twin pair of icicles.

"I just confessed to you," Yuugi continued. "I'm in love with you. And I'm dead serious." No hesitation, no fear… just truth.

The whole truth.

Yami immediately felt despicable and guilty. Of course someone as young and naïve as Yuugi would not understand the concepts of love and lust. There was no way Yuugi could be in love with him yet; one night of embracing sexual desires and what little kindled love existed, was not the same as a true romance.

"And I can tell that you're not," Yuugi whispered harshly. Tears brimmed the corners of his eyes. "Fine, then. I'll find my own way out." Without giving Yami another chance to speak, he started marching towards the doors that were used to enter Pegasus's room. His fingers wrapped around the doorknob—until the latch disappeared and left only the wooden slabs. The line that cut through the doors to allow him to push them instead vanished as well.

Yuugi blanched and turned to face Yami, whose eyes had gone extremely bright, livid with anger, possessiveness and a fire that Yuugi would not be familiar with. The walls began to crumble, the floors trembling beneath as if a subtle earthquake had taken another harsh grip on the building. The ceiling vanished, revealing the beautiful dusk sky that normally Yuugi would remain still to observe and enjoy, but the fear spiking in his heart was keeping him in place.

He had nowhere to go.

Pillars of fire sprung up from the ground, rising up and around Yami like giant serpents of orange, gold and scarlet. He released an earsplitting scream, causing the ground to further cave in, the fire to spiral out of control in whatever direction they wished, and Yami was walking towards Yuugi as a phantom through the flames.

Yuugi swallowed. This… this was his doing, the cost of his foolishness and trust. Why did he have to fall in love with this… this monster?

"_You… belong to __**me **__and __**me **__alone, Yuugi_," Yami whispered through a strangely disembodied voice that sounded little like his own. "_I will not let you go, no matter how much you desire it, no matter how much you beg! Your love is only a figment of your imagination!" _He sounded so cruel, so strangely unlike him, even though Yami was a dangerous specimen to begin with.

There was something very, very wrong. Yuugi couldn't leave yet. His heart and his soul bled for this person now, and he didn't know how it happened, but it did. Somewhere, deep inside Yami, there had to be a way to snap him out of this trance, to get him to see what truly mattered.

"Yami…" Yuugi breathed, wincing as the nonhuman stepped far too close to him, fire licking around his clothes yet refusing to burn him. The heat was becoming unbearable, coating Yuugi's skin in a thin layer of sweat. He grimaced as the other's finger trailed his jaw, grabbing his chin and forcing him to the look the other in the eye. "Please, don't do this."

Yami tilted his head to the side. He wasn't there anymore.

He was gone.

And now Yuugi knew he was the only person who could possibly save him.

* * *

**Alright, well, there's only a couple chapters left of this story. No specific number yet, but hopefully the darker tone finally settled and this makes a little more sense now. It makes sense though if you guys are still confused… I can try to explain if you have any questions, as long as I won't spoil anything. :)**

**Please review!**


	10. X: T e n e b r i sm

**Title: **_Tenebrism_

**Rating: **_T_

**Genre: **_Horror/Suspense/Supernatural/Drama/Romance_

**Coupling: **_Yami [ ? ] x Yuugi Mutou_

**Setting: **_Alternate Universe_

**Disclaimer: **_Disclaimed_

**Summary: **_Yuugi Mutou is a prodigious art student that has always both feared and loved his God-given talents. After the death of his parents, art became everything to him: his passion, his talent, his need, his coping mechanism… it serves as both his savior and his life-driver. Finally, after so many years, Yuugi fulfills his lifelong dream of being accepted into the Light & Shadow Academy of the Arts. Ecstatic, Yuugi embarks on this new part of his life with open arms._

_But not everything is what it seems behind the gloss and polish… as secrets unravel, Yuugi finds himself entangled in a web of danger and allure while at the same time becoming the object of a dark obsession. Now Yuugi must use every bit of power he has within himself to escape._

_Too bad a certain someone won't let him…_

* * *

**X**

_Tenebrism_

* * *

When he was a child, barely older than a toddler, he learned to draw his first picture. Dabs of finger paint, chipped crayons and smothered marker splotches were splashed across an old printed document like a bleeding masterpiece. That was his magnum opus at the time—his very first creation, and the only drawing that he allowed his mother to hang on the refrigerator door. He glanced at it every morning, soaking in the details and promising that he would make something even better and continue through that line.

Yuugi learned to appreciate the finer details of art in life. He embraced a calm, steady relationship with his available friends. They came and went, and some stuck by his side, namely a familiar brunette with sparkling blue eyes, but her name seemed to disappear from his mind recently. Maybe that was just because of the more peculiar events that trailed into his life… no, maybe he was just being paranoid. He wasn't thinking of the correct topic; he wasn't paying attention to the aspects of his recent experience that were correct. Nothing really made sense, and maybe, that was exactly how it was supposed to be.

"_You look ahead, and you see your mother smiling down at you, proud of you… alive. She will always see you as the son she'd always wanted, as the person she could cherish for a lifetime. Even though she is gone, Yuugi, you can still dream about her. You can still see her."_

Sugoroku always managed to make him smile, to try and ease the tension on his early mornings and his evenings. Downing a glass of orange juice and shoving strawberry slices into his mouth were only extra doses to his self-appointed therapy.

Drawing, painting, sculpting… it once formed a proper gateway for him, to escape the real world and delve into the atmosphere of imagination and discovery that always waited for him. If he wanted to dream about a dragon, he would; if he pictured a giant caterpillar taming a clan of sirens, he would envision it and he would create it. It was natural to him. His mother taught him these methods, let him know that he needed to use his talents to cope with losing her.

And yet, somehow, his gifts helped in forming his inevitable downfall. His dreams chased him, grappled him, and steered him in the entirely wrong direction. He failed to recognize his own mistakes, and because of that he was suffering from the consequences. A rose's thorns were only apparent after leaning too close against the petals, to draw in the alluring scent of the beautiful flower. He should have known that this particular rose was too deadly to allow a simple prick; no, these sharpened blades would skewer him in his heart, his soul, and command for him to remain.

For he was trapped. The artist, the young boy who dreamed of so much more, was paying for listening to his mind and seeking out his goals. He should have listened to his grandfather, should have listened to his teachers when he was barely five years old. They told him to pull his head out of his fantasies and pay attention to what actually mattered. There was nothing he could do about his decisions now, other than wait them out, wither like the flower that he happened to be.

Of course, victims; prisoners, no less, had choices. There were certain choices that he could make that would either end in the removal of his life, or the opportunity to find another chance, another escapade. Maybe this was meant to happen—maybe all of this destruction, this brainwashing, this disillusionment… was meant to happen.

He wondered what his captor felt like. As far as the artist could tell, the opposite felt no remorse. Greed, possessiveness, jealousy for the outer world that kept him captive for so long… it reeked from him in waves. It swelled the grip around his heart and he found that the other person, forced to abide by their will and listen to their involuntary words, still foolishly captivated him.

He wondered: was it wrong to lure the angel into a dark abyss when a chain was already clamped around his ankle? Perhaps the demon—this faceless creature that he thought he was getting to know—had tricked him. Maybe there was little to no attraction in those stone-cold depths. Whatever lingered in the background of deep crimson portals seemed to emit nothing but dissatisfaction and anger.

The sensual pleasures still remained. He was touched, he was stroked, and he loved it. He hated to admit how much he loved the other's touch, and yet how much he loathed himself for enjoying it to this extent. To be wrapped in the other's arms, to be coaxed into these dark angles and tangles of submission that he had only read about in old stories thrilled him to no end. His fingers twitched—once, they moved solely for the itch to draw, but now, they served a different purpose. They twitched; they reacted, to a command from his apparent partner.

He formed a thread of destruction in his wake and it was his entire fault. Communication was also futile. He would try to break into the other's head, to get him to see just how insane he really was. There was nothing but wickedness that dwelled in the other's blackened soul… then again, only humans could have souls. This monster, this creature that was nothing but a stranger to Yuugi now, was anything but human. He explained so himself… and yet he couldn't allow his mind to comprehend it.

Once again, he was stupid. He was foolish. When they first met that was exactly what this dark opposite told him. That he was an amateurish artist and he had no place in a world of darkness and intrigue that would only corrupt him in the end. Maybe that was the other's goal? To satisfy his despicable needs? And then he would toss him aside like a torn blanket and allow the thread to soak through with blood.

"_Don't ever let anyone tell you to stop being who you are."_

His mother's voice… it drifted like a forgotten melody. Those words were precious to him, and to his own horror they were just fragments of what he remembered from the one person he deemed as his caretaker. His grandfather filled in the role decently, but he was not the person who gave birth to him. Yuugi sought that familiar comfort, that driving force that allowed him to feel and pour out his emotions onto paper. Whatever his mother wanted, he could concoct with his own talented skills.

A prodigy; she called him a prodigy. Gifted from birth.

But was it true? Wouldn't a _true_ artist see the mistakes he made as folly? A _true_ artist would never collapse into this charade of promises. The school he wished to attend was nothing but a hoax, with a corrupted man overseeing the organization hoping to resurrect his dead wife. In some ways, Yuugi could find his ambitions relatable; if he could learn to revive his mother, would he go to those same lengths? Would he dabble in ancient witchcraft and create something so abominable and so dangerous that he would allow it to walk freely in the real world?

This _being _that Maximillion Pegasus created; he was a monster. A monster that Yuugi, formerly normal teenager from Domino City, fell inexplicably in love with. The need to learn about the living piece of art still dwelled in his mind, nibbling at his thoughts and trying to take control. More than anything he wanted to find out a way to help the other see once more—after all, Pegasus would never create a living painting and allow a corrupted soul to exist. He would want a vessel of purity to revive his deceased partner.

Yuugi was going to need to take drastic measures, to listen to the voices of his grandfather and his mother and understand what he was about to do. There was just… there was no other way for him to solve this dilemma other than perform the inevitable. Maybe this would work, maybe it wouldn't, but was he going to sit back and allow the person he felt affection for destroy everything around him?

No. No, he wouldn't allow himself to be weak anymore. His mother believed him to be an artist, and in these moments he sensed her gentle smile, her clouded gemstone eyes, beautiful diamond sparkles enlivening her emotions and giving him motivation. He needed that drive to do what he was about to do. Perhaps, this was all for the best.

"_My poor baby… what is he doing to you?"_

She wasn't there with him, but somehow his mother's spirit could sense his pain, his anguish. But the pleasure he shared with the other half was only one-sided at this point. The living painting cherished the feel of skin, the intense push of his lips and the sight of his flushed, aching face, but there was nothing more he would be able to give him. Sex was such a minor addition to what they could have had if the living painting accepted the outside world. He was attempting to blind Yuugi with this pleasure, and it displeased the spiritual form of what he believed to be his mother.

Even if she wasn't speaking to him, her voice still drifted in his head, comforting him in his torturous nights beside the dangerous man. Love, lust, ecstasy… they were emotions that no artist could capture on a canvas or a sculpture. It was such a fleeting collection of feelings; each one so forbidden to touch that anyone who dared to experiment with them would only find failure. Yuugi stepped through that trap hole and was enveloped in the arms of a piece of artwork so deadly, so dark and so supernatural that he truly had no way of escape.

"_Don't ever give up."_

He had no choice.

Yami could not keep him locked against his will forever.

"_Be strong."_

And he would.

* * *

A tentative breath, soft and tender, slipped past the teen's lips. Groaning from the effects of his slumber, he stiffened considerably as his eyes adjusted to the sweeping red curtains of what was once Pegasus's room. The golden walls, the untouched portrait of the woman, and the blankets of swan feathers draped over his lithe, youthful frame reminded him that none of this was a dream. For it was, much to his dismay, a terrifying, belittling nightmare.

He refused to twitch, for the slender, strong arms wrapped around him tightened at his slightest breath. The monster had destroyed whatever he could see, but he would never touch Yuugi violently. The passion they shared was empty, leaving a void of disintegration and power that would have fueled so much love if it actually existed. Yami held no love for Yuugi; the teenager was foolish enough to believe that his heart still beat for the other.

He swallowed. He needed to take this chance.

"Yami," he whispered, his teeth grinding in concern as he felt the body beside him shift. The tanned skin of his possessor slid against his body, allowing him to slightly move in order to breathe properly. Still, he remained quiet as the other stirred and he felt the weight lift from the bed.

"You're awake." Even the voice was different; each word seemed to slither into a different dimension. In response to this, Yuugi hesitantly dipped his head and slowly lifted his gaze to meet the other's apprehensive stare, and nearly winced on the spot.

Yami was still as ethereal and beautiful as before. And now that Pegasus had perished, the former flaws in his design seemed to vanish. He maintained complete control over the beauty that the silver-haired man created in the first place. His hair seemed slightly more vibrant, more colorful, while the shade of his tanned skin darkened and his eyes bled a much more powerful glare, though those crimson irises were no longer curious. They emitted nothing but greed and hatred.

Hatred for… Yuugi wasn't entirely sure, but the emotion existed and it pinned him in the heart with a thousand needles.

"We need to talk," he whispered, and gasped as the other flipped over and pinned his wrists above his head. He swallowed as Yami continued to stare into his eyes, commanding his attention and trying to force unwavering thoughts into his deliberately confused and jarred mind. "Y-Yami, please. Just hear me out. It's been months since you've… taken over, and you haven't let me talked in days."

Yami slowly tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful glimmer passing through those orbs, and then he nodded in slight understanding. "Perhaps I have been a bit too harsh. After all, the nights you have spent with me were exhilarating." Despite the positive undertone, the frown remained, and his brow only creased in what looked like anger. "And yet, only I have felt them. You no longer plead for my name, or scream for more. You simply lie there… like you don't want to be in this bed with me."

If Yuugi had enough spirit left in him, he would have snapped a retort and left the other man contemplating what he had said, but that strength had ebbed away long ago. But at this moment, he needed to maintain that old defiance and somehow speak up for what he believed had been eons since the last time he did so.

"Because you're right. I don't want to be in this bed with you." He didn't wait for a reaction, but the grip around his wrists tightened and he simply endured it. "Ever since you took over, you've kept me trapped in this room, doing nothing but trying to plot schemes on forming your own world, turning art into a deadly weapon and yet all I see is a sad excuse for a man." He grit his teeth. "You need to listen to me if you want me to feel pleasure from you again. Do you even understand what I'm saying to you now? Do you realize what extent you've gone to in order to cause me this much pain?"

He expected screaming. An insult. A full-blown temper tantrum from the dangerous individual, but instead, Yami slowly released his wrists and reared back, a brief flicker of what looked like confusion casting over his features. His lips thinned and he seemed more passive with how he was digesting this information.

"I have done everything I have to please you, to protect you from that despicable world that you foolishly adore so much," he replied calmly. Each word dripped with ice. "You do not need those humans. You only need _me_. You need to understand what role you have to fulfill now, Yuugi."

The teen leaned up, his brow furrowing once more. "That's what you think… and just so you know, sex is not what I would have wanted from you. You haven't even kissed me after you declared your so-called 'love' for me. But this is over now, Yami. I can't deal with whatever you've become." He shook his head. "I don't care if you yell at me, or banish me, or kill me…" he drifted off, wondering if that was a possibility. "I just want to be free."

Yami huffed, throwing back the covers and snapping his fingers. His clothes, consisting of a simple silk bathrobe, draped over his figure in a matter of seconds. His back was turned to him, but Yuugi could tell by the twitch of the mad man's fingers that he was itching to punch something or at least chuck an object out the window—

Yuugi blinked, dread weighing down his stomach. He glanced over, towards the balcony where he once pictured Pegasus and his angelic wife. They would be standing there beside each other, clinking wine glasses together and chattering about their luxurious evening. Then he would sing a song to her, perhaps, or even tell her a long dramatic story about his life before he would gradually lead her to his bed and make love to her.

It was twilight, with the perfect amount of stars dancing across the dense black sky. If only he could see the moon, and the image would be perfect.

His conscience drove him towards those glistening windows, to the porcelain platform jutting outside Pegasus's former room like a welcoming beacon. Yuugi felt his body lift from the bed, his feet dragging towards the windows. He heard Yami muttering to himself, his fingers probably already digging into his palms and his expression twisted into a mask of angst and frustration.

Yuugi pushed the doors open, a fresh gust of coveted wind blasting against his skin. He inhaled the sensation, the voices of his grandfather… his mother… Anzu… they drilled into his mind, begging for his attention, for his courage to speak up and control his actions for him.

His feet carried his body up onto the edge. The stone was cold against his flesh, and yet so comforting compared to the searing heat he constantly felt when bombarded with the lust and anguish of his forced lover.

"… Yuugi?" He heard Yami swish around, and he could practically picture those bulging eyes, shock evidently written into them.

Yuugi slowly turned around, willing his amethyst gaze to lock with the eyes of a man that he wished he never fell in love with. Yami stared back, so enveloped in surprise and his own musings that he failed to notice what his significant other was doing.

Yuugi gave nothing but a wry smile; a final message.

"You know…" he paused, swallowing. "I wished it didn't have to end like this. Really." He shrugged, the action so small and yet so delicate. If a leaf fell onto his body he would lose his balance. "So this is goodbye."

"_**YUUGI**_—"

Yami had reached out, his arm extended, his powers breaking into the real world. Thick tree vines, twined through with protruding bones and harmless figre, stretched outwards in a desperate spiral to prevent Yuugi from committing the sacred action.

Yuugi smiled, and stepped into the air, where he fell and plummeted to the earth.

"_Welcome death only when you're ready, my little artist."_

* * *

**Voices**. Throbbing. _Pushing_. Shoving. **Broken**. Trails.

_Whispers_. Songs. **Visions**. Stories. _Children_.

Laughing. _Lost_. Losing.

**Love**. Lust. _Memories_.

Love. _Love_.

_**Life**_.

… **He would not die** …

_Push. Push. __**Push**_.

* * *

"_Is he going to be okay?"_

"_We're not sure. Fractures have occurred in some lethal places."_

"_I don't care about that! Tell me if he's going to live!"_

* * *

Determination. **Will**.

_Live_. **Live**. _Conquer_.

… **Maybe this was all meant to happen** …

**Fool. FOOL**. _Foolish_.

**Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.**

_Losing. Losing. _

Hope.

* * *

"_Please… just tell me the truth… get him to open his eyes at least…"_

"_I'm sorry Miss, this is all that we've been able to do."_

"_Don't talk to me like I'm a child! I'm his friend! His only friend…"_

* * *

**Pain.**

_Unbearable._

**Confusion.**

* * *

"_Wake up! Yuugi, please! Your grandpa needs you. I need you—please, just open your eyes! You have too many people here who need you, who love you. You need to listen to what I'm saying, Yuugi… please, please, please just wake up…"_

"_Miss, he may need some time to rest—"_

"_He needs me here!"_

* * *

**Wake.**

**Wake.**

**Wake.**

… **You can learn to love me** …

… **Yuugi** …

* * *

Blind.

He believed he was blind. He had to be. He should have been welcomed into the slender, gentle arms of his mother, to feel wisps of her brown hair against his pale white cheek. There should have been a sense of comfort spilling into a newfound world, where he found peace and tranquility. Instead, he felt his body wrapped in some strange material, his lips forcefully pressed together and his eyelids incredibly heavy as the familiar voices drowned into his temples.

"Yuugi?"

That voice. No… it couldn't be.

His lashes fluttered and he cracked open his eyes, disbelief clouding his senses and absorbing his aching heart. The blurred image of a familiar young woman with a beautiful heart-shaped face, rose-tinted skin and shoulder-length brown hair invaded his mentality. He remembered her, he remembered this amazingly kind girl; the one person that stood beside him his whole life and listened to his complains, listened to his pleas, his desires, his fears… she formed a tender whole in his life that she always wanted to fix on her own.

In a way, she reminded him of his mother.

He couldn't believe she was kneeling beside a stretched-out white bed, her teeth chattering and streams of tears clotting her puckered cheeks. She looked exhausted—her eyelids were heavy with black rings, the skin underneath glittering blue orbs bruised purple.

"Oh, Yuugi…" she whispered, her voice chopped into separate pieces. "Thank god… oh my god…" she looked away, furiously wiping at her tears and steadying her heart. She choked on another sob. "I can't believe this. T-the doctors said that you wouldn't… that this was impossible… that you were _dead_…" the last word was so dreadful that she refused to say it above the volume of a whisper.

"Anzu." Just saying her name—one word—drained nearly all of his energy. A headache throbbed in his temples, demanding his attention, trying to silence his roaring thoughts. Was… was all of that a dream? Was his fall from the balcony nothing but a dream? How did it all happen? How did he even get here?

He had so many questions, and no one who could answer them.

"O-oh my god, Yuugi! You have no idea how scared I was!" Anzu growled, wiping at her cheeks and shaking her head. "Your grandfather is so worried about you and I thought you were… I thought—" she stopped herself. "Do you remember what happened? Who did this to you?"

Yuugi swallowed and tried to think back.

And he received nothing in return. Just a blank void answered his beckoning call, telling him that he clearly did not even know what he was searching for. Confusion dwelled in the back of his mind. He remembered bits and pieces: images of a balcony, a streak of golden walls, and a blurred portrait of a woman? He couldn't really tell, and then something caught his eye. A pair of raging blood gem eyes. They were so beautiful and so deadly, and he loved them. His heart literally ached for those eyes, and his mind called out to them—

"I… I can't remember," he whispered truthfully.

Anzu shook her head. "You arrived from the airport and some witnesses claimed they saw someone attack you. The police are investigating but so help me Yuugi, I will make sure that whatever happened to you will be put to justice." She was entirely serious and he felt it. And, honestly, he was very touched. It was nice to see her, and he wanted to burst into tears at just how much he missed her and his grandfather…

But how could he be alive?

"I came… from the airport?" Yuugi whispered, frowning in disbelief.

Anzu nodded. "That's what the report said. You were visiting from your friend's house in Cambridge. Your grandpa said that you left him a message explaining that you were planning to come home for a few months since your internship didn't work out."

What… what? Internship? Friend in Cambridge? What the hell—?

Yuugi shook his head. Something wasn't right. Why did everything seem so out of order? And no one attacked him. He at least knew that. The vision of the room, of the beautiful man with the glistening red eyes—he knew exactly who that person was, and for some reason he couldn't draw a name. This was not a coincidence—these wounds were not inflicted by someone else's hands. A blunt object hadn't hit his head… he knew exactly what happened.

He tried to kill himself. There was no other explanation.

* * *

**Two Years Later**

* * *

"Yuugi! Close up the shop while I'm gone will you?" Sugoroku smiled towards his grandson, wearing a simple pair of jean overalls and a tattered white shirt that was now splotched in a disarraying pattern of paint. His leathery face was still creased in the gentle wrinkles that set him apart from other men his age; he still radiated age and maturity, even when the only person he had left in his life was prepared to take over his business.

Yuugi smiled in return, embracing his grandfather. He pulled back and admired the gentle, colorful display and chuckled in amusement. "Grandpa, you really have to stop doing this to yourself." He wiped the old man's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "You can head off to your coffee date. I'll clean up the shop… and maybe finish the paint job upstairs. You know I'm the artist here." He winked and Sugoroku smirked.

"That's my boy. But seriously, don't forget to close the shop."

He nudged the other man and quickly trotted out the door, carrying two buckets of paint that he would need to help coat the walls of the new coffee shop down the street. Since the store was close to opening, Sugoroku immediately jumped at the opportunity to earn some extra money and volunteer for painting. Needless to say Yuugi was excited for his grandfather, and quite proud of him for taking a new initiative and leaving the closed-in atmosphere of his shop.

Over the last two years, his grandfather decided to use the empty space to his complex and open up a small gaming store aimed at children and young adults. In a matter of months he sold several popular board games and card games, and soon he managed to save up the tuition he needed to hopefully pay for his grandson's future in school. Yuugi took a break from college searching after he woke up in the hospital, but that story never seemed to clear up. He knew there was much more to those little fragments in his memory than what he originally thought.

But what more could he ask for? His grandfather loved him, his friend Anzu adored him, and they both wanted the best for him. After he was sent home from the hospital, he promised to someday discover the secrets to what happened to him… on the night he tried to kill himself.

His fingers stiffened, but he shook away the feeling. He swept a rag over the glass counter, glancing over the old board games he shoved under the shelf. He glanced over a collection of cluttered art supplies, and suddenly wished he were out with his grandfather painting on the walls of the coffee shop.

He smiled slightly in remembrance, trailing his fingertips over the disregarded paintbrushes, crayons and felt markers. He took out the dusty stack and blew the dust from the surface, his brow furrowing and his nostrils flaring at the strange smell. He set the stack down, rolling up the sleeves of his collared shirt before picking up the objects again and starting up the stairs.

The bell on the door chimed, and he heard someone's shoes clattering against the ground. Sighing in annoyance and allowing his eyes to roll, Yuugi stepped off the staircase and started striding back to his desk, his arms full with the supplies he pulled from under the desk.

"I'm really sorry, sir, but we're closed—"

He blinked, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. The image before him looked so familiar, so incredibly detailed, as if he had dreamed about this person before. He was tall, lanky, absolutely beautiful with his long-sleeved black shirt, fitting against his toned form. His long legs were encased in stonewashed jeans, his polished shoes untouched and spit shined to perfection.

He was familiar, except for one strange, strange detail.

Eyes that Yuugi expected to be as red as blood were a dark lavender—they shimmered with elegance, poise, and gentleness. They were very different from the images he had seen in his dreams, the fragments of his past that he refused to acknowledge.

"Hello, Yuugi."

The art supplies fell to the ground with a solid _clunk_.

Yuugi swallowed and stiffened. "Get out." He didn't understand why his body reacted so hostilely to this stranger—every sense in his body screamed for him to beware this person, to make him leave if it was the last thing he did.

The stranger frowned. "We need to talk."

"Get _out _before I call the police!" Yuugi bellowed, his heart slamming against his ribcage like an angry Mexican bull.

The beautiful man dipped his head apologetically. "I saved you."

"I don't want to hear your bullshit. Get out." Memories…

His eyes widened. No, he did remember. The art school, Miho Nosaka, the beautiful man that claimed to be a living painting, Maximillion Pegasus, those beautiful ruby eyes, the landscape of twisting trees made of bone and ivory… the pillars of moving fire, the stones made of turtle flesh and the spiraling lightning bolts tearing through a frozen pink sky.

It was impossible.

… Yami.

Yami.

_Yami_.

"You…" Yuugi swallowed. Why now? Why could he remember now, when he tried so hard over the last two years and nothing ever returned?

Yami—yes, that was his name—stepped forward, and suddenly Yuugi felt his knees buckle in nervousness. He wanted to call the police, to tell them that a crazy man was going to attack him, but he couldn't bring himself to. Yami approached him, incredibly close, those soft fingers suddenly tracing underneath Yuugi's chin and along his cheek, a tenderness clearly evident in those deep purple eyes… why had they changed?

They looked…

"You're human," Yuugi breathed. But that was impossible.

"Only because you freed me," Yami whispered. "You killed yourself." He stepped back, pain lacing through each and every word. "You jumped off the balcony, a sad smile on your face. I used whatever I could of my artificial soul to save you… and fragmented your, and all of your companions', memories, in order to match your experience." He dipped his head. "I needed time to recuperate into this new form."

"You can't be human," Yuugi whispered. "You can't."

"But I am." Yami grabbed Yuugi's hand and pressed his appendage to his chest, where Yuugi felt the pulse of a beating heart. He still didn't want to believe it. "I have wronged you in the past… but Yuugi, you were the only person that gave me light. You ended my darkness and allowed me to spend my artificial soul for yours to live. And you did." He paused. "Of course, my powers are gone—"

"I don't know why you're even bothering to explain yourself." Yuugi frowned. "Get out now, before I call the police and they arrest you for breaking into my store and harassing me."

Yami shook his head. "You still love me, Aibou." Partner.

Yuugi bristled. "Don't—"

Yami grabbed him and plunged him into a searing, hot kiss. Yuugi struggled at first, trying desperately to push and shove the other person away from him, but he had to give in to the intense sweep of the other's tongue, the pure intensity that dripped from his essence like sparks of automatic lust. Old feelings arose, claiming his heart, his mind thinking things that he really didn't want to admit.

"And I love you as well."

"Stop…"

"Aibou, please… Yuugi, I will give you everything. I have changed. I have done whatever I can to make sure that I'm human enough for you."

Yuugi growled, but the voice of his mother reminded him that he couldn't lie to himself. His heart still beat for Yami—no, it _bled _for him, like he foolishly felt only two years prior, when he struggled to reconnect his fragmented memories like the amateur he really was. The cruel intentions behind ruby eyes were gone, and they were replaced by the steadiness and… was that really love? Love, dwelling in those shocking lavender orbs?

He couldn't believe he was making this decision.

"Yuugi…" Yami whispered, his touch lingering and his arms wrapping around the other, pulling him close to him. "Just say it."

Yuugi was really, really stupid, for he gave in. He shoved his mouth onto Yami's and moaned as the other took him into his embrace and kissed him further. His grandfather would be back in a few hours, but there was nothing that could stop his decision.

He really was a fool. The foolish artist who fell for the one person that could destroy him… who was never really human, and yet here they were. He made the worst decisions, and the best decisions, all directed towards a living painting named Yami who did whatever he could to become human for him.

Love… love was foolish.

But weren't true artists the ones that admitted it?

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**I just wanted to thank everyone for sticking with this story until the very end, and that this means the world to me that you all tolerated my absence from times to times, and my struggles, and enjoyed the story as much as you did. I hoped you liked this short story, and I do wish that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you so much again everyone! Adios!**

**- Sulfur Dusk**


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